A Match Made in Heaven
by kz4valentina
Summary: Can best friends tie the knot and still stay friends only? No Jake, Mellie or Edison. Chapter 14: pulled for editing. May 2018** On hiatus**
1. The Proposal

**A/N:**

Okay, so I took a little break for the summer and now I'm back with a new fic! Wait, wait, don't shoot me just yet. I got chapters for both _Whatever Happens_ & _The Miracle Maker_ coming right up, back to back.

Okay, then. This one probably won't be longer than ten (10) chapters. Disclaimer: Any similarity to another fic by different author is unintentional This is something I wrote a while back for _Whatever Happens,_ so there are some similarities there. Any way, this plot-line just didn't work that well for that story, works best as a new story. Sooo in this one Olivia doesn't have any children or ex-husband .Another major difference is that here Fitz and Olivia start out as friends which is certainly different from any of my other fics. I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter One: The Proposal

The sharp ringing jostled him from his peaceful slumber. Grumbling harshly, he gripped his pounding headache, evidence of his late night out. He pushed off the soft arm draped across his chest and forced his eyes to squint open as he grabbed his buzzing phone and checked the caller I.D. His mood soured more when he was finally able to read the name flashing at him.

"What?" He growled as he placed the device to his ear.

The gruff voice on the other end scoffed, "Sorry _sunshine_ , _hmm_...did I wake you at the crack of noon?"

"Just tell me what you want so I can get back to my business." He huffed.

At once, he heard his father sigh and could just imagine the disappointed look on his face as he said, "Yeah-yeah, I can just imagine the business you're conducting...Look boy. Your ass had better be in my office in twenty minutes. I'm done coddling you and enough is enough. So I suggest you kick 'whatever her name is ' out of your bed and get over here."

The line went dead then and he shook his head before tossing his phone back on the night stand. He sat up and groaned as the piercing pain only intensified. He glanced over at his bed partner, her blonde hair tangled behind her as she hugged his pillow. What was her name again? He laughed bitterly as he realized his old man knew him better than anyone.

Fitz Grant was officially thirty one and yet he still lived the prosperous life of a bachelor, much to his father's derision. Being the only son of the president of Grant enterprises meant that it was expected of him to follow after his father. Not that he had any other plans but to do so. But his father didn't seem to believe that he could have both the responsibility of running a company and a bit of fun on the side. He glanced down at the woman next to him again and internally sighed. He was loath to give up the finer pleasures of life because his old man was too much of a stick in the mud to see that life had to be lived to the fullest and that could occasionally mean getting to the office late on _some_ Monday mornings…

Still, he knew how temperamental his father could get so he didn't think it wise to test that twenty minute time limit. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder, rousing her from sleep. Her beautiful hazel eyes peeked up at him and her lips curved up into a seductive smile.

"Fitz, ready for another go already?" She purred and he grinned back and gripped her chin, lifting it up as if for a kiss. He saw the anticipation in her eyes and it gave him some dark satisfaction.

"Afraid not, sweetheart. It's time for work, which means you need to shower so I can call you a cab." He said and drew back, watching as her eyes filled with disappointment. But she didn't give up easy as she lifted herself out of bed, offering him another tempting view of her large breasts. He smiled in appreciation, but was otherwise unaffected, too used to these things to lose his head over. She leaned closer to him and gave him her best pout, providing a better angle on her slender figure as the sheets fell away. He raised a brow as she slid one finger along his arm and added heat to her eyes. If he wasn't so experienced, he may have believed it was real.

"Who says our fun has to end so soon?" She whispered and reached up for his face.

He intercepted and grabbed her wrist, giving her a sharp cold look.

"Game's over sweetheart. Get ready to leave in five minutes or you will walk down the hall as you are." He said and her eyes instantly hardened as well, she huffed and pulled away from him. He watched as she stomped towards the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. He chuckled as he ruffled his mussed, dark red hair and stood up to stretch his tired body. He was going to need a shower and some coffee if he had to deal with his old man's bull any time soon.

* * *

 **xxx**

Olivia tucked a stray strand of dark curly hair out of her face, looking down at the spreadsheet she'd just printed out. Staring at the computer screen wasn't helping, but she thought maybe printing it out and staring at it would. Leaning back in her chair, she folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Her expenses were now higher than her profits and unfortunately, she would now have no choice but to terminate her two part time employees. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that and the bank agrees to give her more time to make her monthly payments. The last couple of years had been kind of rough with her father filing for bankruptcy and still having to pay off a good portion of his gambling debts, which meant that her former rich girl lifestyle had come to an abrupt end. Yet in the midst of it all, she turned a load of lemons into lemonade and in spite of having zero experience in the business world, she set up shop in one of the best parts of town. She rose to the challenge and soon started earning enough money to support herself as well as her ailing father. And while early on she had bemoaned life's lemons, in the end she was a better person for it; in fact, she could hardly recognize her formerly pampered self from the down to earth woman she was today.

She rolled her head and stretched her stiff shoulders; she was so looking forward to going go and taking a long bubble bath. She was about to close up shop when a sudden sharp tap caught her attention. Frowning, she glanced toward the open doorway leading from her cozy kitchenette to the front door. A few seconds the sound repeated, confirming that in fact another customer attempting let him or herself in. She groaned. What part of a closed sign did people not understand? She pushed her way out of the kitchen with every intention of sending the person away until she spotted him through the glass door.

Leaning on one arm against the glass and flashing his trademark grin was her best friend Fitz. His dark hair blended against the dark sky and the light of the moon highlighted the planes of his handsome face.

She sighed in relief, so glad to see him and quickly unlocked the door, welcoming him as he breezed in.

"Hello, beautiful." He greeted her with a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

"Hello, stranger. What brings you to my little shop?" She teased, shutting the door behind him.

"I wouldn't call it small. Quaint is more like the word I would use."

She tilted her head, giving him a quick glance over. His tie was loose, signaling that he had only recently come from work. There was also this tension in the way he held himself and the way he had hugged her. He must have had a rough day.

"How about a slice of cake and some coffee?" she asked heading to her mini-kitchen located at the back of the store. Then, without waiting for his answer, she sliced off a piece of her cinnamon mocha cake for him and silently placed it at the counter height table a few steps away from the kitchen's food preparation area. Then, she sauntered back to pull out two iced cold Starbucks cappuccino drinks from the mini-fridge for them to enjoy.

Without a word they sat at the table unconsciously pushing their bar-stools closer until their knees touched.

Fitz would often come to her shop to visit, at times bringing her a collectible or something he thought would be a good addition to her consignment shop. But since lately he'd been working over time at Grant enterprises he'd visited less and less often. But one thing remained the same, she was the first person he came to when he was upset or frustrated about something. She knew just the remedy for him too.

"Wow." He sighed blissfully as he took his first bite. "You are my angel sweetheart. It's amazing how you can still read me like this."

She smiled at the compliment and leaned on her elbows, enjoying his dessert vicariously. She would indulge only on occasion. This was a direct result of the many years of ballet training under her belt, which meant a well-established habit of watching her figure on a regular basis.

"I've known you all my life, Fitz. I Know you better than anyone, even better than your own mother, **"** She said with a light chuckle. He smiled in kind and did not speak again until he'd devoured half his cake **.**

 **"** If only others were as understanding as you are. Most people are judgmental and claim to know best... but if they haven't walked in others shoes, how can they condemn? My father is so quick to judge...but you know what, he's never taken the time to get to know me."

"What happened this time?" She asked and he sighed, taking a sip of his coffee while making eye contact. When he set the can back on the table his stunning blue eyes were more clouded than she had seen in a while.

"My old man and I...had a rough meeting today." He grumbled and she instantly understood why he seemed in such a troubled mood.

"In other words, he gave you another lecture about your behavior in your private life." She said and he laughed bitterly, leaning back in his seat.

"Not exactly. I've grown so numb to those that they don't even bother me anymore. Instead, he decided he would force me to give it up...by giving me an ultimatum." He said, looking up at the ceiling as he leaned further back in his seat. She tilted her head and waited for him to elaborate, but his eyes remained stubbornly on her tiled ceiling. She rolled her eyes and reached across the table to lightly pinch his arm. He jumped and his eyes returned to hers, noting the irritation blazing in the green depths. He smirked, but it didn't hold as he sighed again and ran his fingers through his hair.

"He told me in no uncertain terms that he expects me to find someone to settle down with or I'll forfeit my inheritance…" He spoke in a low husky tone and Olivia's eyes widened as her mouth fell open as she realized the seriousness of the situation.

"He can't do that though...it's the twenty-first century. He can't force you to marry someone!" She cried as she straightened in her seat, outraged.

"Legally no...but he can change his will and give the presidency to someone else when he retires. Those are within his rights, so in a roundabout way...yeah, he really can force me. But wait sweetheart, it gets better." He said and rubbed the back of his head and gave her a look that said 'I fucked up' as he continued.

"I decided to open my mouth and tell him that he was wrong about me and that I've been in a committed relationship for the past six months, but had yet to introduce her because I waiting for the perfect moment to do so."

"Fitz...please, please tell me you did not just make up a fake girlfriend and lie to your father. The most cunning man I know." She groaned and covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head as Fitz laughed. She'd known the Grant family since the beginning of time; back in the day, both families ran in the same circles, went to the same parties and even played golf together…

" Before I knew what was happening I was making an agreement with my father that I would marry this woman within the next few weeks and introduce her to the public at the next publicity party we're holding." He groaned and she looked up at him again in horror.

"Wait. You have to find a woman who's willing to marry you on short notice and has to go to this party pretending that she's known you for the last six months!? Fitz do you even know such a woman?" She asked and he shrugged.

"There have been a few women the last few months who I've seen more than once...but that's not gonna help, is it?" He asked cheekily.

She gave him a reproachful look. "You're _so_ screwed." She deadpanned.

After a moment, he laughed and before she knew it, she was laughing right along with him.

"This is why you're the best, Liv." He said between laughs and she shook her head at him, wondering if he was even taking this seriously. Before she could lecture him further the bell above her door rang and she jumped, swinging towards the door.

"Sorry, we're clo-"

"Evening Miss Pope." The man said as he bowed slightly and Olivia instantly stiffened as her eyes hardened. Today the devil was in a three-piece-suit and carried a briefcase.

"We're closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow when we're open." She hissed and Fitz straightened in his seat as he noticed her anger flashing. He swung back to peer at the man walking towards them.

"Miss Pope, I really wish you wouldn't be so difficult about this. I'm only doing my job."

"However cold hearted that is…" She practically growled, crossing her arms. The man sighed and set his briefcase on a vacant stool and reached inside for a stack of papers, setting them before her.

"Listen, I just need more time…in another month or two-"

"The bank has given you plenty of time to catch up, "he cut in, "but if we don't receive the overdue amount in full in three days, we'll have no choice but to begin legal processes and foreclose the property down," he went on in a detached voice."

And with that, the devil bowed his head again and left without another word. She picked up the papers and threw them in the trash with all her frustrations behind it, fighting down the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

Truth was that she'd been trying to play catch up since the beginning of last year, having fallen behind three monthly payments; except that now she was four months behind which had put her so dangerously close to foreclosure . It seemed that no matter how hard she worked at something, there was always going to be forces working even harder to stop her. She clenched her hands into fists and was just beginning to tremble when a pair of masculine arms wrapped around her and pulled her back into a strong chest.

"Liv...You okay, sweetheart?" He whispered and she sagged as her anger evaporated, replaced with a sense of despair. She turned and looked up at him, his six foot frame (6'2 to be exact) towering over hers.

"I'll be okay. Sorry you had to see me like that." She whispered and he gave her a concerned look.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so behind in your payments Olivia? You know I would have-"

"I can't accept charity, not even from you Fitz."

Fitz sighed, knowing full well the reason behind her determination. He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"How bad?" He asked and she averted his eyes.

"Fifty…"

"Fif-Olivia! I don't care if you're doing this alone to stick it to _that asshole_. You still should have called me!" He shouted and she cringed as the truth of his words dug even deeper. She walked past him and moved to the front door, locking it once more. She was avoiding the next conversation with the same cold wall as she always did. It was a defense mechanism against the raw pain. It may have happened three years ago, but it still slashed at her pride when others brought it up.

"I'm sorry Livvie...I know he's a tender subject." Fitz apologized when he saw her begin to shut down. She sighed and shook her head, silently saying that it was fine. But it wasn't...she wondered if it would ever be okay when it came to the topic of her ex-fiancé.

"Liv...talk to me, sweetheart." He whispered and she turned to see him sitting back in his bar-stool and gesturing towards the one beside him. She sighed and took his offer, settling next to him and pulled the hair tie out, letting her curled, ebony locks fall down past her shoulders. She smiled when he slid the rest of his cake towards her, but she shook her head against the offering.

"Business has been pretty slow lately and I just couldn't seem to drum up enough to keep up with my loan payments. But things were starting to get better…I just need more time. It's okay Fitz. You don't have to worry about me, not when you have your own issues to handle." She whispered, crossing her arms across her chest and hugging herself.

"You know that's not how I see it. No matter what I have going on, I'll still be here for you, Livvie...Just as I was then." He whispered softly and she gave a bitter laugh. Yes, it was true that he had been there for her when she needed him the most. The day she finally stopped being blind to the misery in her life. He was also there to support her in that first step to turning things around when she took the plunge and started her own business. She met his gaze, gratitude filling her heart.

"Thanks Fitz...I really appreciate the moral support, but I'll be okay." She said resolutely and he groaned.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn. Just let me he-"

"You know why I can't do that...I have to prove that I can 'stand on my own'." She said as those bitter words from the past replayed through her mind.

 _"_ _Face it Olivia! You're nothing but a pathetic piece of trash that can't stand on your own with no real talent to offer the world. You'll be nothing without my financial support and you know it. So be a good girl and come home to me."_

She shook the dark vision from her mind, her eyes filled with a determined fire. She hadn't been strong at first to fight back; but once she opened those doors, she felt that she could finally prove her fiancé wrong, the man who had shown her his true colors after learning of her father's bankruptcy.

"Let's just drop it Fitz...please…" She whispered and he sighed as he drank more of his iced coffee, silently thinking to himself. When he softly chuckled she turned her eyes up to him again to see his features had softened.

"Looks like we're both screwed, beautiful," he teased as he winked at her. She blinked and then sputtered before turning into full laughter once more. Fitz joined her and the two managed to lighten the weight on their shoulders with the help of the other. She wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye and sighed, giving him a scolding look.

"But your situation isn't as straightforward as mine. Money is easier to obtain than a woman who can pretend to be your wife." She pointed out matter of factly.

"True. Finding women has never been the problem for me." He shrugged, his easy going smile still in place. "Finding the _perfect match_ this time though...I need a woman who's smart and strong enough to handle my father and his obvious suspicions. Plus she has to play the part of the wife twenty-four-seven because the competition will look for any opening to boot me out of the heir race...But she also can't get too attached. I don't plan to stay married after I am assured my inheritance and right to the presidency." He said, his face finally falling into a frown as the requirements made his plight seem suddenly unattainable.

"Where could you even find someone like that on such short notice?" Olivia wondered, tilting her head as she watched his eyes narrow, a sign that he was thinking hard. She waited as he remained silent, not wanting to break his concentration. Something they both shared in common was a hatred for people bothering them when they were busy and focused. Suddenly he blinked and shot up straight in his seat, signaling that he had come up with some solution. He swung over to her, his eyes widening with some hidden realization.

"I know who I need!" He exclaimed with a triumphant smile. She nodded for him to continue. He held up his fingers, counting down the key points. "She's more than capable of handling my father and he'll be less suspicious of her because he's met her before. She's beautiful so the media will believe I would actually date her-"

"Sounds awful...but go on." She said rolling her eyes at him somewhat playfully, and his grin deepened and he got a strange spark in his eyes that made her raise her brow, intrigued.

"She's sassy and won't take any of my crap, so I don't have to worry about her being bowled over by those seeking to 'dethrone' me. She already knows all my habits, so can answer trivia questions that would stump a stranger. She's more than capable of playing my fake wife while her mind remains unclouded of 'true love' or 'fairy tale endings' because she's never seen me as more than a big brother figure…"

Olivia's eyes had narrowed with each point as the sparkle in his eyes grew more intense. She suddenly didn't like the direction this was going and she could now guess who he was talking about.

"Best of all…"

"Fitz…" She warned, but he continued as he leaned closer to her and grabbed her chin in his hand. He smiled wide and mischievous and she pursed her lips.

"If I choose her, then my lie about seeing her for the last six months won't be a complete lie. In fact...I've technically known this woman from the time I was knee- high to a grasshopper."

"Don't even think about it, Fitzgerald Grant!" She muttered, shaking her head, her sharp eyes piercing through him and warning him against voicing his next words. But he wasn't fazed in the slightest, just as immune to her as she was to him. He grabbed her hand in his and before she could dodge and run in the opposite direction, he dropped down to one knee with a wide smirk.

"Olivia Pope, marry me."

 **A/N:**

Will she say yes? Leave a review


	2. In Denial

**A/N:** Guest reviewers: in this fic, Olivia is 28 and Fitz is 31.

Guys, this story has received such a warm welcome, greater than I could have possibly imagined, greater than any one chapter of any of my other stories. I was in shock for like a week. Thanks to all, I hope you continue to enjoy!

 **NOTE: 9/12-2016: I added the following sentence toward the end of the chapter.** Olivia says: "You don't know Fitz like I do. Please don't talk about him like that. He has his reasons, but that's really none of your business."

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Chapter Two: In Denial

Upon hearing his proposal, Olivia pulled her hand away only to punch him playfully in the arm and he had to use all his self-control not to yelp and moan that it hurtttt.

But she knew. She began counting the seconds until he rubbed his arm (it was seven).

She rose to her feet. "This is _not_ funny, Fitz," she said folding her arms across her chest, she subjected him to a searching stare, her back against the kitchen counter. Even though their relationship was a playful one he had crossed the line this time. What was he thinking getting down on his knee? It just reminded her of a certain someone she would rather forget.

At once, he rose and bridged the distance between them and searched her gaze.

Suddenly his closeness was too much to bear and she refused to look at him. And so she just stood there in front of him with her fingers twined tight together, slender and female and still properly miffed.

He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head until she met his eyes.

"Hey, hey…"

"What kind of game are you playing now?"

At once, his expression somber, "Hey, this is NOT a game, Liv… I would not joke about something like this. I really want you to marry me."

She pursed her lips, then licked them before she decided to chew on her lower one. For the first time, there was a certain humility and sincerity in his voice that gave her cause for pause. She needed to think about this situation with a clear head and somehow find the way to keep her emotions at bay. Admittedly, they were now navigating uncharted territory and she was convinced that he could hear the hammering of her heart.

"Listen, Liv. You're my best friend. I treasure you, I would never do anything to confuse you or jeopardize our friendship. This marriage will be a fake one and it should _not_ change our relationship." He reassured her. Then, he leaned in to tenderly brush her lips against her forehead and she relaxed a little. After a moment, he led her back to the table.

"I don't have a ring but I'm completely serious about you, about us. You are perfect for the role, Livvie." His eyes sharpened with conviction and she was glued to his every word. "No one else will be able to pull it off or be ready in the time limit. Even if by some miracle I find a really good actress for the part, there are unknown factors that I can't control. Even the best actors let their masks fall at times. You know more about me than anyone and we already have a relationship, even if it's not the one we'll be presenting to everyone else."

Even though he'd know Olivia for most of his life, they didn't become best friends until his senior year in high school when he waltzed into her life with a wink and smile, and asked her to become his study partner. Even though she was three years his junior, she'd been assigned to the fast track early on in life and skipped a grade. By the time she entered high school she was a stellar student fluent in both Spanish and French and by the time she became a sophomore there was a list of students a mile long asking for tutoring sessions.

Fitz wasn't a very trusting person, but that year he and Olivia had really hit it off. Her communication style truly appealed to him. For one, she didn't badger him or make him feel inadequate and secondly, she filled their study sessions with a healthy dose of humor that he found quite refreshing. Furthermore, she also held him accountable for his learning by not allow him any excuses. It was still a mystery to him how he'd managed to teach him Spanish almost effortlessly and without him resenting the process, considering that back then studying seemed like such a waste of time . Ever since then, he could rely on her to call him out on his bull and level with him.

He smiled as he remembered her sassiness even then. He studied her as she downed the last of her coffee drink, cleared the table, and eased back in her seat, knowing the look in her eyes was mirroring the guilt he felt. He thought harder about it as they remained silent. It really was selfish of him to ask this of her when she was facing her own problem. He glanced around her little consignment shop knowing how much it meant to Olivia and how much she loved it. He had been here since day one when they both rolled up their sleeves and repainted the walls with colors that suit her taste.

His eyes narrowed as his thoughts began to swirl around a new idea. She had said she wouldn't take charity, even to save her shop. But there was no denying the fact that she needed his help just as much as he needed hers. He slowly brought his eyes to her and caught her watching him think. His eyes widened then when the idea took full shape and nearly slipped off his tongue.

"What's going on in that mind of yours Fitz?" She asked interrupting his musings. He brought his hands up and folded them under his chin as a sly grin spread across his face and his eyes sharpened into that of a predator's.

"Who's to say we can't solve both?" He whispered and she frowned, not understanding where that had come from. He stared at her intently and noticed that the suspicious glint had returned to her eyes.

"Just killing two birds with one stone," he grinned and she looked at him like he had lost his mind. He only grinned brighter and winked.

Needing to put some distance between then, she rose to her feet and helped herself to some water. She nursed her drink while leaning her back against the counter of her little kitchenette.

He stood up and stalked around the counter, his eyes locking on her the entire time. She followed his movements, still wary of the look he was giving her. She was always able to see when he was plotting something and he appreciated that intuition of hers. He stopped directly in front of her and leaned forward so that her back hit the counter and his arms went to either side of her, trapping her there. She didn't shiver, didn't blush or get flustered under his scrutiny as other women did; instead she fixed him with a steady gaze. Olivia had so much steel in her that he wouldn't have to worry about her being bullied by anyone, which was exactly the kind of wife he needed.

Just one more proof that she was perfect.

He reached up and lightly cupped her chin and gave her his best smile, hoping to ease her reservations once and for all.

"I told you Fitz, I have to do this alone." She said and he balked at that.

"No you don't have to do this alone. We can work together. Both of our problems can be connected and snipped with a single stroke. Become my fake wife Olivia and I'll pay off your loan in full."

"But if it makes you feel better think of it this way," he continued, 'you'll be paid to play the part of my wife, so it's not charity exactly. Just because it's coming from me doesn't mean you can't think of this as a little side job to help earn that revenue you're lacking." He explained. At once, he saw that he had hit a point with her in the way her eyes softened and looked away as she digested that tidbit. He grinned and shifted so that his arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in a gentle embrace.

"Come on Liv." He leaned and whispered into her ear. "I don't want you to lose this place either. So stop being so stubborn and just let me help you...and in the meantime, help me achieve my dreams. I can't do it without you."

"That's not fair Fitz..." She grumbled, her slender arms finally lifting and wrapping around his torso, returning the hug. **"** How could I stand in the way of your dreams?" She'd always had a soft spot for Fitz and couldn't imagine him losing his rightful inheritance.

He smiled and held her tighter, chuckling lightly as he stroked her hair in a soothing rhythm. His smile softened when he felt her relax even further under his ministrations.

"Okay…let me think about it," she finally conceded pulling back to meet his gaze.

His heart did a little dance. Even though it was not a yes, he knew right then and there that he'd gained some ground. **"** Okay, then how about I take you out to dinner tomorrow evening?"

xxx

The next day, as promised, Fitz picked her up after work in a comfy limousine and took her out to dinner. After arriving at the port on Long Beach, they boarded a helicopter which took them to Catalina Island. They were having dinner at The Avalon Grille, an upscale restaurant that overlooked the beautiful Avalon Bay; it featured new American cuisine and a world class selection of wines and cocktails. They were promptly shown to a large patio and seated at a private open-air cabana.

Fitz slipped off her duchess trench coat with cape topper and draped it over her chair. She hung her purse over the coat and sat down across from him. He thought she looked beautiful with her hair in a tight bun and clad in a silk short- sleeve, button -down blouse.

Olivia looked out into the deep blue bay, enjoying the simple yet the splendid beauty of the sun setting into the horizon into a fiery blaze of crimson and orange.

"Fitz, I don't think it'll work. How are we gonna be able to pull this off?" She said after they had placed their meal orders. She'd ordered Wild King salmon with summer squashes and orange dill oil and Fitz ordered Angus Filet Mignon served with scalloped potatoes .

It'll work. _We_ can make it work," he replied resolutely.

The waiter arrived shortly thereafter with their first course: Caesar salad for her and chicken tortilla soup for him.

After a few bites of her salad, she wiped her mouth with the white linen napkin and dropped her hands in her lap. This dinner was decidedly an extravagance that she could afford once in a blue moon; she would need to insist on paying her half, of course.

Regarding their predicament, Olivia couldn't help but feel uneasy; this was such a big decision. In the last couple of years and as a result of the hardship she had endured due to her father's bankruptcy, she had learned to follow her instincts and right now they were screaming for her to smack some sense into Fitz and run.

"How long will we keep up the charade?" She said instead.

"Well, first of all we would elope and then announce our marriage…and then we would need to prove to my father that we're a stable couple…so I would say um..." he paused and frowned in concentration, "at least six months to a year."

 _ _Whoa!_ Six months! A year! _ Olivia lowered her gaze to recover from the shock and took a sip of her red wine. She took this as proof that they had not fully considered all the implications. "And then what?" she retorted, "We just get a fakey fakey divorce?"

He chuckled at that but quickly swallowed it as she shot him a look.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we'll just sleep at my place of course, but no one has to know that." He paused to gauge her reaction. He knew her so well that that he could pretty much guess where her thoughts were leading her and quickly added, "And we'll set up round the clock nursing care for your dad and he can stay right where he is." At once he saw her expression soften. "You know something? As long as we keep our sense of humor this fake marriage of ours will be a piece of cake," he concluded with a charming lopsided grin that she found simply irresistible.

A muscle tugged at the side of her mouth as she struggled to keep a serious face. "You make it sound so easy," she paused to collect her thoughts. There must be something else they hadn't fully considered. "Besides," she went on and then her eyes brightened with a new compelling argument, "who's to say that your family will accept me as your wife."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head in thought. Darn it! If he couldn't convince Olivia to be his fake wife, he was sunk. There was no way he could find another woman who could play the part as well as she could. Just as he had said before, she fit all the requirements.

"My father would and that's what really matters here. We'll remind him of the time you helped me out back in high school. And my mom…you remember her from when we were kids, right?" He waited for her to nod in agreement. "Well, then… she's a sweetheart and there's no question that she'll love you," he said taking a draining his drink peering at her through the rim of his glass. There was a strained look in her eyes that made him feel a bit guilty for asking this of her.

"And what if…what if they would rather you marry someone within your own race?"

He stared at her in disbelief. "Now that's not fair, Liv. My folks…well, actually my dad can be opinionated, hard-headed, greedy and self-righteous…and whatever else you'd like to add to the list, but if there is one thing he…they won't care about is the color of your skin," he concluded resolutely, and she felt the heat and the intensity of his gaze upon her.

"All right, I'm sorry," she mumbled after a few moments of awkwardness, "but if I'm right and you're wrong and they don't approve of me for some reason…" she trailed off.

"If I'm wrong, which I'm not, I will bear the consequences… And yes, you will have the right to strike me down with band of wild horses and a bunch of I- told- you- so's" He paused for effect; his demeanor went from serious to entertain just a hint of playfulness. "Okay, then, what do you say **?"**

Olivia dropped her napkin on the table and rose to stand just outside the cabana. She had seen the conviction in his eyes but wasn't ready to respond. In a pensive state of mind, she turned and faced the vastness of the bay and the open ocean beyond that. Breathing in the clean air, she turned her eyes to the heavens. It was a beautiful night. The sky was now as dark as black velvet and there was a slight breeze; it's fresh snap signaling that Autumn had finally arrived to stay.

He came up behind her and waited. She closed her eyes for a moment. She could feel his breath on the nape of her neck and the heat coming off his body making her legs rather weak and wobbly. A moment later, she turned to face him and he ran his hands down the outside of her bare arms, and when he got to her fingers he linked his through hers. A powerful jolt cursed through her body on contact and she finally brought her caramel eyes up to his. He could already read the willingness within their depths, but he still asked.

"Liv, Livvie," _Por favor, mi vida, casate conmigo_ ," (please, my love, will you marry me?) he pleaded throwing in a little Spanish in case it helped (it was a Romance language for a reason, right?)

She was very still and a sudden gentle smile lifted the corners of her mouth by the time he got to the question mark at the end of his sentence. Her eyes never left his face which gave him hope.

Was she treading hot water considering this fake marriage? God, Yes. This marriage was uncharted territory -regardless of whether or not it was fake.

Was she going ahead with it anyway?

Hell, yes.

The bottom line was that Fitz needed her. She was his friend and that's what friends do, they help one another… right?

"Okay…Okay, I'll marry you…." She whispered.

"Woo hoo!" Fitz shouted for joy, "fantastic, baby, fantastic!"

Olivia let out a squeal of surprise when he suddenly lifted her up her thin waist and spun her around like he was in fact a soldier who'd just come home from the war.

xxx

As soon as Olivia got home she dialed her BFF, Quinn. While waiting for her to pick up the phone, she braced herself for an outburst.

"Liv…I e-mailed you two days ago, where have you been?"

"I've been so busy with Fitz…he's is in a sort of predicament.."

"What is it this time?"

Olivia quickly brought her up to speed regarding Fitz's proposal.

"And so… I said yes. I told him I would marry him," she stammered, once again bracing herself for an outburst.

"You… WHAT?"

Olivia winced at the loudness of her voice and lifted the receiver away from her ear.

"I can't believe…but why? Why the heck didn't you tell me?" Quinn fumed. It wasn't right that Olivia had left her out of the decision making process.

"Okay…Well, it's all happened so fast. Olivia knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Quinn would oppose the idea and find a way of talking her out of it and that's why she had waited until she was sure, and then a little longer before breaking the news to her. "Anyhow, the important thing is that this won't be a real marriage…it's just an arrangement between Fitz and I."

Quinn huffed, "For Pete's sake! Have you lost your freaking mind?"

Olivia heard Quinn sigh loudly over the phone. "So you're gonna marry Fitzgerald Grant…huh?" she made a show of clucking her tongue, "by the way, Liv," she paused deliberately drawing out the suspense, "Did you ever tell him you had a crush on him back in high school?"

Olivia's eyes widened. She was hoping that Quinn had forgotten all about that; that chapter of her life needed to remain a closed book. For a fraction of a second her mind flashed back to what had transpired between her and Fitz on the night of his senior prom; the night when he swooped her with a last minute invite as his girlfriend of the week had been in bed with the flu. Absently, she touched her fingertips to her lips recalling the kiss they shared.

But then, she shook her head, chasing away the thoughts. The whole night had turned out to be one of the most embarrassing of her entire life and to top it all off, Fitz had no memory of what had happened between them that night.

"Quinn…" she laughed, "That was barely even a crush… it was just a tiny little infatuation…" She let out another well timed chuckle, "besides, what does that have to do with anything?"She countered trying her best to sound nonchalant, and feeling quite grateful that Quinn wasn't actually there to see how rattled she felt.

"Are you telling me you still don't have a thing for him…are you telling me you were not secretly thrilled that Fitz asked you to marry him?' Quinn taunted.

"Absolutely ridiculous!" Olivia protested a little too loudly. "Fitz and I are good friends and that's all we'll ever be. Besides, he didn't actually ask me to marry him…he asked me to FAKE marry him…a BIG difference if you ask me."

"FAKE or not… Marriage is marriage."

"I'm doing it for him…if I don't his father is going to cut him out his will for real," she said, mostly to herself.

Quinn clicked her tongue. "Don't you see, Liv? Here you are again trying to fix his mistakes, trying to make him a better person. He's always been your pet, your project that needs fixing. Let's see…where would Fitz be without you? Let's see…he'd be a wealthy high school dropout. The dropout part sounds bad, but the wealthy part makes up for it. The question is will you be able to handle it, living with him knowing that he has no feelings for you?"

Olivia thought there was no use arguing back, her mind was already made up. "You don't know Fitz like I do. Please don't talk about him like that. He has his reasons, but that's really none of your business."

"Liv, I'm only looking out for you, Liv. I don't want you to wind up getting hurt."

Olivia shook her head again in self-denial. She told herself that as long as she made sure this marriage remained a charade, _no one_ would get their feelings hurt.

 **A/N:  
**

So Olivia carried a torch for Fitz back in high school. How did you guys like the twist in this chapter? More on this in a flashback later on

About next chapter: I'm all fired up for this story but my life got really busy right after I posted this fic. I will really try my best to have the next chapter up ASAP, _don't forget to keep on reviewing!_ Thanks so much for your amazing support :)


	3. Meet the Parents part I

**A/N:**

From time to time I make small edits after I initially post a chapter. I usually don't mention it unless it is a significant change. I added a sentence at the end of last chapter the day after I updated, check it out if you haven't already.

 **Important notes for this chapter:**

 **Prom night flashback:** I realize that I left what happened on Fitz's prom night wide open. It was just a kiss and nothing more. Just wanted to clarify this: _Fitz and Liv's first time together will really be their first time._ There will be a flashback about prom night with all the details later on.

 **Time jump:** This chapter starts with them already married. Whaat? Okay, let me explain. **I decided to move the plot along now and pick up the pace. As a result, the wedding will come later on as a flashback.** This decision was partly due to a comment by a guest reviewer ( a light-bulb turned on and I started writing this in bits and pieces as soon as I read the comment) and I think you will all like the result. By the way, thank you all for your encouraging comments, they mean so much to me.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

Meet the Parents part I

Three days later

After spending half an hour going over her wardrobe choices, Olivia decided on a white silk top, black pencil skirt, and a pair of _Nine West_ three inch heels. She dressed and peered at herself in the standing mirror in the far corner of her bedroom. She turned and twisted. Not bad at all. She added a touch of _Silk_ to her straight shoulder length hair. She squared her shoulders and strode confidently into her day.

She scanned the room one more time and pushed aside any sense of apprehension. It was completely natural to feel a little nervous about meeting her in-laws and starting this new chapter in her life as a married woman, she told herself. No matter what fate had in store for her and Fitz, the important thing was they trusted each other. A wave nostalgia settled in her heart as her gaze settled on the bed where two suitcases lay packed and ready to go. Even though this apartment was not the home of her childhood, it had been her home for the last two and half years.

With a sigh, she picked up her luggage and leaned it against the wall by the front door and then went into the kitchen.

Elijah Pope was sitting at the breakfast nook next to a sliding glass door, flipping methodically through the newspaper. With a growl, he put the paper down the second the nurse set his medications in a row across the table.

As soon as Olivia poked her head through the threshold, she noticed the bags under his eyes and his gruffly appearance, set reminders that he was barely the shadow of the imposing man who had raised her. She sat across from him and waited until he was done taking his medications before she spoke.

"Dad, I'm leaving now Fitz will be here any minute now."

He squinted up at her, looking perplexed.

It never ceased to surprise her how quickly her father's health deteriorated in the last two years. His sense of humor, which had carried him forward through the darkest times of his life; particularly the loss of his wife and gambling away his fortune, was now a thing of the past. And now to top it all off, aside from a myriad of health conditions, it appeared that he was also in the beginning stages of Alzeimer's. She'd suspected it for a while and with no official diagnosis to confirm it, she still hoped against hope that his memory problems were simply the result of normal aging.

Olivia cocked her head. Did he already forget the conversation that they'd had early this morning?

"Yes, dad. I'm moving in with Fitz," she said. "We discussed it last night AND this morning, remember?'

Elijah Pope furrowed his brow, as if the word, 'remembered,' was a dirty word. "You didn't say such a thing or I would have remembered!" He retorted in a defensive tone.

She decided to ignore that. She should know better than remind him of his limitations. "Fitz and I are married now and we'll be living together, "she informed him, taking his hand across the table and giving it a squeeze, "but don't worry…you won't be here alone, there will always be a nurse here with you, daddy."

"Olivia," her father started in a chastising tone. "How could you be married if there was no wedding?" He shook his head, "And don't tell me there was one …I would have remembered that!" He concluded in a rare bout of confidence, pulling his hand away from her grasp to rub the back of his neck.

"Okay, dad. You're right, We didn't have a big wedding," she admitted. A heavy cloak of guilt descended upon her shoulders for taking advantage of his memory issues. Her father was a good man and he'd always been a very devoted father; he'd given her plenty of love and loads of attention growing up so no complaints there. She gave him a small smile, "We had a private ceremony."

Right at that moment, the door bell rang at that moment and Olivia felt a wave of excitement at the thought of starting a new life with Fitz, but she shut down the thought before it could spread and deepen.

"Daddy, I gotta go but I'm only twenty minutes away. I will come and see you every day," she promised, giving him a kiss on the cheek before going to answer the door.

Fitz greeted her dad in a friendly manner and promised him he would take good care of his daughter. Elijah started nodding off and retired to take his mid-morning nap shortly after that. By then, the chauffeur had loaded the suitcases in the back of the limousine.

"I will send someone to get your car later," Fitz reassured her.

Before stepping into the vehicle, Olivia gazed back at her old apartment and wondered when or if she was ever coming back.

"Liv, before we go home, can we stop and see my mother? She won't be at the party tonight…We have to tell her first…she won't like finding out the news through a third party."

The party, yes. The 'employee appreciation party' that Jerry Grant was having tonight which according to Fitz, included reporters from _The American Entrepreneur_ magazine.

Tonight was the night she would be introduced to the world as Mrs. Fitz Grant at the office party.

Mrs. Fitz Grant. Olivia practiced the name several times in her head and still it sounded as though she was referring to Fitz's mother. Oh, Lord, what had she gotten herself into? She thought as they drove off to their new lives together and discussed every possible scenario, further working out all the angles and possible pitfalls.

* * *

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Grant mansion. It was a gated residence with a guard stationed within the gate. The chauffeur tipped his hat and the guard nodded. The mansion was Tudor style, steely pitched roof, dormer windows. It had a basement, a rarity in Southern California and containing in the upwards of twenty rooms.

Even though their families had frequented the same social circles in the past, Olivia had only visited a handful of times in her life.

Holding hands, they bypassed the maid who informed them that Mrs. Grant was resting and had not left her room all day. Together, they walked to the foyer that led to her bedroom. He then motioned for Olivia to take a seat at one of the two Victorian style sofas while he poked his head through the half-opened door.

He found her asleep in her favorite arm chair and clad in her favorite terry bathrobe and with a book opened on her lap. He picked up the book and set it on the round table beside her.

From their conversation over the phone, he'd gathered that she was not doing well. He was sorry to wake her but then again, she was going to get a neck cramp from sleeping in that position. "Mom." he called, gently tapping her arm.

Much to his surprise, his mother opened her eyes instantly, looking surprisingly alert. Over the years, he had learned to recognize the cycles of her chronic depression which meant frequent insomnia and lots of napping during the day.

"Fitzy," she murmured affectionately.

Fitz sat across her in a matching armchair and from this position, he turned to the side, and made eye contact with Olivia who was now standing in the threshold just outside his mother's line of vision. He gave her an appreciative smile and then turned back to his mother, "Mom…Sorry to wake you. How are you feeling?" He asked, the sadness in her eyes was more apparent now, he realized. Feeling guilty, he vowed to himself to come and visit her more often if it meant having to deal with his old man more often than he cared to.

She shook her head, "Didn't sleep well last night…"

"Try not to nap during the day…have you seen Dr. Richards?"

"Yes," she sighed, "he was here this morning. He just gave me a refill for my meds."

Fitz furrowed his brow, concerned. "Dad is having another one of his parties tonight, remember?" Not for the first time, he hated his father for having little regard for his mother. He couldn't help feeling that way even though his folks had been leading separate lives while living under the same roof for many years now.

She looked at her watch. "Oh, yes, "she ran her hand self-consciously over her short salt and peppered hair. Originally black, it had grayed prematurely over the years, she'd kept the same feathered flipped back Princess Diana hairstyle, just a tad shorter. "I don't think I'll be able to make it…" she added, deflated. Over the phone, she's told Fitz she wasn't sure she'd be attending but now she knew for sure she wouldn't be.

"Mom…I have something important to tell you." He paused to give her time to take in the change of subject. "You remember Olivia Pope? She was my study partner back in high school."

"Oh… yes…" her eyes brightened in recognition.

"She's here right now, she wants to say hi," he took his mother's hand in his and spoke in a gentle tone. "Olivia and I care a lot about each other…in fact, we decided to get married."

Leila Grant straightened up in her chair. "Oh, my…You're… engaged?" her big eyes widened like saucers. "This is certainly a big surprise…"

"Olivia wants to say hi," he reiterated without confirming or denying her assumption that they were engaged (perhaps it was better to break the news to her slowly). He waited for her to regain her bearings. In spite of her depression, he knew there was no way his mother would want to meet her new daughter-in-law in her bathrobe.

"WAIT, she said rather predictably, "Let me get presentable."

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief. If mom wanted to make herself look pretty, that was definitely a good sign.

* * *

Twenty minutes later

Fitz and Olivia made themselves comfortable, walked around for a bit and came back to the foyer.

After a moment they heard his mother call back from her private quarters, "Just a minute, I'll be right there."

Olivia sat at one of the two elegant Victorian style sofas and Fitz stood beside her. At the sound of his mother's voice, he took Olivia's hand into his and smiled at her reassuringly , with a look that clearly said: _don't worry honey, she'll love you…_

Leila strolled into the foyer wearing a cream colored pant suit and a little makeup on her cheeks and a little lipstick.

Most gallantly, Fitz stood to give his mother a choice of where to sit. Predictably, she sat beside Olivia where Fitz had been sitting a moment ago.

"Hello, Olivia," Leila reached for Olivia's hand and held it in hers. "Long time no see."

Fitz sat on the sofa across from them and relaxed back in his seat.

"It's so good to see you," Olivia replied pleased at the warm welcome.

"I remember your mother. She was a kind, lovely woman," Leila said enveloping her hands in hers.

"Thank you."

"And your father is a fine man of impeccable manners," Leila smiled kindly and then politely added, "how is he doing these days?"

"He's okay…he's got some health issues though," Olivia replied, wondering if Leila remembered the scandal of her father's bankruptcy a couple of years back, really hoping it wouldn't come up in conversation, "But he's doing alright."

Leila nodded, "glad to hear." She continued to grasp both of Olivia's hands in hers in warm motherly fashion.

Olivia smiled at Leila's tactfulness.

After studying her for a moment, Leila lowered her gaze to Olivia's marriage hand and fingered the ring on her finger with a questioning look. "My son tells me you're engaged."

Olivia opened her mouth to correct her but Fitz shock his head no, meaning he would take care of this.

While Fitz and Olivia were carrying on the private conversation they were having with their eyes, Leila raised the stylish glasses that she carried on a gold chain to her eyes. She studied the ring for its beauty.

Olivia smiled and held out her ring (actually two rings an engagement style ring and a solid wedding band fused together) so that the older woman could take a closer look.

"How charming," Leila said cautiously, "Aquamarine?"

"Yes." Olivia quickly replied. The ring was pretty but not particularly impressive; the perfect fake engagement ring for a fake marriage such as theirs. "The ring belonged to my mother. She would have wanted me to wear it…"

Not knowing what to make of this non-diamond engagement ring, Leila's gaze shifted between Olivia and Fitz, finally settling on Fitz. It was quite clear she was quite appalled and her dark blue eyes gave her son a silent reprimand, one that clearly said: _I raised you better than that!_

Darn it! Fitz cursed himself for NOT INSISTING on getting Olivia a _proper_ _diamond_ engagement ring and wedding band. Instead, he'd let her convince him that her mother's ring would do just fine. He shook his head, the last thing he needed was for his mother getting suspicious.

Incidentally, Fitz turned to the wheeled mini-bar and helped himself to a glass of scotch, hoping his mother wouldn't notice his missing wedding band. Not accustomed to wearing a ring, he'd forgotten his in the bathroom sink.

But then, Olivia saved the day with her next statement, "I didn't want anything ostentatious," Olivia said making fleeting eye contact with her fake mother in-law, her hands folded quietly on her lap. She'd never been a good liar and hoped she sounded convincing. "To me, this ring seemed more enduring than any diamond."

Taking a seat across from them, Fitz smiled proudly, easing back into his seat, crossing his leg over his left knee, beginning to relax some. He couldn't have said it better himself.

"Well," Leila gave her a pensive look, gathering her thoughts. "Truth be told, I've been hoping I could pass on my engagement ring to my son's fiancée one day." She paused for effect and then added after a long sigh, "Well, I guess I can still pass it on to you even if you didn't have a traditional engagement," she added giving Olivia a pointed look.

Olivia shifted in her seat uncomfortably, giving Fitz a look that said: _the ball is back in your court now._

"I don't know what to say..." she muttered, not sure which was worse 1) refuse a family heirloom or 2) Accept said family heirloom when she knew her marriage was a charade. Yet she had no choice but to go with option number one. "That would be lovely.." she smiled softly.

Leila was pleased to hear that and rose to her feet. "Well, if you will excuse me…"

"Wait mom!" Fitz said with a sense of urgency that he couldn't quite disguise but that glued his mother back to her seat. "Can it wait for another time? Olivia and I have something very important to tell you." It wasn't the perfect opening but he'd better grab the bull by the horns and make the big reveal, "Tonight I'm going to be introducing Olivia at the party as my wife."

Leila blinked several times. "You…mean as your fiancée?"

Fitz swallowed and licked his lips. "No, mom. What I mean to say is that Olivia and I just got married. "

His mom stared back at him, wide-eyed. "Oh, my… you're…married?" her gaze shifted between Fitz and Olivia, "Fitz," she frowned, and giving her son a pointed look, "but I would have still liked to be present at my son's wedding."

Fitz and Olivia exchanged a guilty look so brief that Leila wasn't able to catch it.

"Mrs. Grant," Olivia began.

"Call me Leila, please," her new fake mother-law- requested.

"Okay, Leila," Olivia gave her a small smile, "We just wanted a small intimate wedding, just the two of us."

Leila cocked her head and gave them both a quizzical look. "Well, okay, but there was no need to be in such a rush, was there?" And then, her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, Fitz. Why didn't you say so?" She smiled. "The stor.."

"Mom!" Fitz cut in. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She about to say stork, wasn't she? "Mom, no…it's not that," he stopped abruptly and put his hand up to indicate that she ought to stop as well. She'd been bugging him for years telling him he needed to settle down and start a family.

At this point, Olivia had a pretty good idea what Leila had been about to suggest and simply smiled at Fitz, appreciating his quick thinking. Even though this was the 21st century and women were no longer chastised for getting pregnant before they had a ring on their finger, she still wouldn't have liked the implication.

"Mom, " Fitz continued, leaning forward as if he was about to divulge something of the utmost secrecy, "I know you would have wanted us to have a grand wedding. But it was not for us. This is how it is. Olivia and I have been friends since forever. She's been the one constant in my life. She's seen me through a number of relationships and has been by my side through the ups and downs of life. And then, the other day…you know what happened?" his gaze shifted between Olivia and his mother making sure to build the momentum, "we were laughing over something silly having a snack and a cup of coffee at Starbucks then, she looked at me and I looked at her," he paused, noting that Olivia was hanging on his every word," and we both realized we were made for each other…." He paused. "All these years, we have been looking for love in all the wrong places not knowing that…the love of our lives had been there all along."

He continued after a brief pause, "it was as if were suddenly engulfed by this whirlwind of emotion and we looked at each other intensely. We left the store and it was like in the movies…you know, where the rest of the world fades into oblivion," he paused to note that both women were now nodding in agreement. "And just like that, we knew we were in love…" He concluded with a boyish shrug. "And we knew we had to get married, time was of the essence and we had lost so much time already."

"My," Leila said after a stunned moment, "that's got to be the most romantic story I've ever heard."

Fitz beamed. He didn't know what had prompted his speech but the words had rolled off his tongue with ease. He stole a glance at Olivia and he was surprised to see that she had also been moved by his words, words that had been unrehearsed, unplanned. The end result was a natural flow to his narrative that even he knew would be hard to duplicate.

"BY the way, that reminds me…" Leila chuckled. "Oh, my goodness, who would have thought…destiny is fickle but very interesting indeed…"

Both Olivia and Fitz were intrigued… _what was she talking about?_

"I remember that one year your father threw a huge party for our wedding anniversary. Do you remember, Fitz?" She went on without waiting for an answer, caught up in the narrative. "It was huge, Barbara Walters from 20/20 attended of course back then she wasn't nearly as legendary but anyway, you were maybe ten or eleven at the time…" Fitz nodded with a quizzical expression and she continued turning to Olivia, "Anyway, you my darling, you were dressed in a gorgeous white dress with tiny pink flowers and you Fitz, you were wearing a nice suit and tie. You both walked around hand in hand, kept telling everyone you were rehearsing for your wedding. It was the cutest thing," she smiled wistfully at the memory. "I'll never forget it."

Fitz nodded again, his mother's story did ring a bell, except he didn't think he was as old as eleven…perhaps his mother was mistaken? He couldn't possibly been older than seven or eight…and he mentioned something to that effect.

"Fitzy, you were older than that, trust me."

Fitz captured Olivia's gaze and held it. He was surprised by the depth of emotion staring back at him and was fascinated by the obvious hint of a blush on her cheeks.

That tiny hint of vulnerability intrigued and fascinated him at the same time. Just when he thought he knew everything there was to know about her…

The memory of her sweet and young, clad in her white dress was coming back to him now. Wow. Yes. The dress and makeshift veil she found in the attic. Playing house. The sound of her girlish laughter. And the memory brought a smile to his lips. The irony was hard to miss; lo and behold, by a strange twist of fate, here they were again pretending to be married just like they did all those years ago. If he were a romantic man (which he wasn't) he would be inclined to believe that he and Olivia were meant to be.

"You do remember, don't you, Olivia?"

Olivia gave Leila a brief smile. "Yes, I do," she answered and found her gaze drawn back to Fitz. In his eyes, she saw a new look, a look she had never seen before. She didn't know what it meant but it was almost as if he was seeing her for the first time. Somehow, she felt brand-new too.

"Well, mom…it's getting late." Fitz said after a while, "we still have to go home and change for the party."

The older woman smiled at Olivia, extended an arm and wiggled her fingers indicating she wanted a hug. There were happy tears in her eyes.

"Don't mind me, silly me," Leila said teary eyed pulling back to look into the younger woman's eyes, "I didn't get to cry at the wedding so I'm crying now."

"Oh, please, don't cry," Olivia stole another glance at Fitz and they shared another moment; they both were happy that she had passed the first test with flying colors.

"Olivia, I have the feeling that you and I are gonna be good friends. You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. Determined and kind, I can see it in your eyes, dear."

Olivia smiled at the compliment, inwardly relieved that apparently she had passed the test with flying colors.

"Okay you two, you newlyweds, don't forget to come and see me often, okay?"

"You got it," Olivia promptly replied.

Fitz stood and hugged his mother good-bye and whispered something in her ear about not mentioning anything to his father about Olivia just yet. She nodded in agreement.

* * *

Later that evening.

Fitz opened the door to his three story penthouse and gallantly stepped aside for Olivia. While the chauffeur brought in the luggage, she scanned her surroundings and smiled, satisfied. It was a good thing that she herself had a hand in the décor of this place as it definitely suited her taste. She turned around just as the chauffeur set the luggage by the door and discreetly disappeared.

Unfortunately, we only got and hour to make it to the party," Fitz said suitcases in hand as he led the way up the spiral staircase to her new room right across from his.

Olivia's gaze widened at the sight of the most splendid walk in closet she'd ever seen, filled with a brand new wardrobe that would have made any major Hollywood movie star happy; there was a huge array of outfits for every occasion and in nearly every color, not to mention a selection of shoes that was out of this world including Ferragamo pumps in every color she could think of. Shuddering at such extravagance, Olivia's gaze settled on a gorgeous cocktail dress evidently put on a display as a showcase piece for her to wear tonight adorned with a gold necklace with a single Aquamarine stone in the shape of a heart. The necklace matched her ring almost perfectly.

She shook her head with a smile on her face as she cast a quick glance at the man beside her. He was so impossible, but that's what made him Fitz.

"If you're gonna play the role of my wife, you need the best of the best, "he said by way of explanation. He then removed the dress from the hanger, handed it to Olivia and pocketed the necklace.

"I'm both surprised and impressed that you still know my dress and shoe size," she said pinning the dress under her chin.

"You dragged me on enough shopping trips for me to remember for the rest of my days unfortunately." He grumbled and she chuckled, shaking her head again as she ran her hand along the soft material of her dress. It was a beautiful, deep cream color that complimented her mocha complexion and dark hair. The dress was more risqué than she would normally go for, but she had to admit that Fitz had good taste and had picked an amazing dress. It may show more skin than she was used to, but it was still classy enough to pass through the night.

While Fitz waited outside the closet seated in an armchair by the bed, she slid on the dress. The skirt hugged her hips tightly and flowed down past her ankles, making her black stilettos peek out when she walked.

The top was a halter that wrapped around her neck, but still showed off quite a bit of her chest to those taller than her like Fitz without being overly provocative. The two pieces, skirt and halter, were connected at a point, covering her stomach and leaving her sides and lower back bare. The only reason she had agreed to wear the dress tonight was because she was with Fitz, not having to worry about wandering hands with him. Plus she had been impressed by what she saw herself in the floor to ceiling three way mirror that paneled the walls of her dressing room/walk-in-closet, and decided one night dressed like this couldn't hurt.

When she stepped back into her bedroom, Fitz was still seated in the same spot except that now there was a bottle of her favorite Chenin Blanc uncorked and two wine glasses sitting on the round table by the bed.

"So what do you think? She said striking a pose.

"You look stunning," he smirked. He walked over, necklace in hand and slipped it around her neck.

Olivia's heart skipped a beat. "It's beautiful, thank you."

A moment later, while he served their drinks, she said, "That speech you gave your mom…was pretty convincing."

"Yeah," he winked proudly, handing her a flute of wine and raised his hand for a toast. "To us. To a wonderful life together."

Grinning, they clinked glasses and took sips of their wine.

"Fitz...the speech you gave back at your mom's…it was so organic sounding…so…hmm," she paused, looking for that elusive word.

"So it sounded real?" He interjected, grinning. "I googled it. Did a search on 'what to say when your best friend becomes your wife,'" he smirked mischievously and then quickly added, suppressing a chuckle, "just kidding. I just remembered a speech I heard at a wedding…luckily, she didn't attend that particular wedding."

Olivia looked away and Fitz missed the brief flash of disappointment that crossed her face.

His eyes brightened as a new idea came to mind. "Before we go…I'd like to propose another toast."

She held her glass high with a small smile.

"To my lovely wife, the only woman I would ever want to be married to," he smirked.

Olivia peered at him dazzled by his comment. Locking her gaze with his, she believed she saw something in his eyes, a flash of feeling she'd never seen before. But then, it was gone and she wasn't sure if it wasn't just wishful thinking; all she knew for sure was that her heart was beating so fast she thought he could hear it.

* * *

Later …

They walked into the party room linking arms and smiling.

"You look absolutely stunning…" he reiterated leaning into her ear, "I'll be the envy of every male in this room."

Did she imagine this or did he just say that in a flirtatious tone? She briefly considered if perhaps she was losing her mind…either that or perhaps something had definitely changed between them since that moment they shared recalling their pretend wedding back when they were kids. "You _are_ lucky to have me indeed, "she said with more bravado than she actually felt AND without missing a beat. He chuckled again as they walked into the grand hall that hosted the party, her hand lightly wrapped around his arm. He stopped for a minute, facing her and grimaced playfully.

"Show's about to start, darling. Are you ready?" he asked reaching for her other hand. Their rings rubbing into their skin as he pressed lightly.

She took in a deep breath and nodded.

Together they waded through a throng of people and she noticed a few of them with cameras and notepads. Reporters. She swallowed instinctively as she hoped to avoid drawing attention so early in the evening before they had a chance to break the news to Fitz's father. A gentle tug on her hand brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced up at Fitz. He was smiling down at her, but she could see the hint of nerves in his deep blue eyes as he whispered,

"Time to introduce my lovely wife to my father... are you ready?"

 **A/N:**

Does Fitz have deeper feelings for Olivia than he realizes? Or is he starting to fall in love with her? Questions, questions. What do you think? Are you all ready for Meet the Parents part II?


	4. Meet the Parents part II

**A/N:**

Diamondprencess: The answer to your question is in this chapter.

Guest Reviewers:

As an amateur writer, I have learned a lot from readers and writers alike ever since I started writing fanfiction. I have made my share of mistakes along the way and have found this fandom to be quite forgiving. Most of you are simply amazing (thank you so much for your continued support). On the other hand, a few of you are leaving negative reviews for this fic that really don't help me grow as a writer. This message is for the latter group: I welcome constructive criticism as long as it balanced with a positive comment. If you can't find a single positive thing to say about this story, then it's a clear sign that this fic is not for y _o_ u. If you feel this is the case, I suggest you check out other stories instead. Just in this month alone, you'll find a wealth of awesome new stories. It's nice to just sit back and enjoy. I wish I had the time to read them all ( if I did I wouldn't have the time to write), They are so good that sometimes I'm even tempted to just read and read in lieu of writing.

This chapter picks up exactly where we left off. Enjoy!

Chapter four

Meet the Parents part II

Together they weaved through the crowd toward the mini-stage of a large room, where a familiar man stood talking with a small group of reporters. Olivia took a deep breath and plastered an easy smile on her face as they drew nearer, more concerned about making the right impression on the great Fitzgerald Grant II rather than on the people with the cameras. From what she remembered of him, the man was sharp and with a backbone made of steel. While it was true that father and son often didn't see eye to eye, she believed the older Grant had good intentions but was misguided in his judgment of his son.

As they approached, Olivia overheard the reporters who were doing a piece for fortune magazine- ask the older Grant about his plans for the upcoming year. Jerry was about to launch into a long dissertation when Fitz cleared his throat, and Jerry Grant turned behind him with a raised brow. When he saw it was his son with a gorgeous woman on his arm his brows furrowed once more. The reporters stepped back to watch the interaction with great interest.

Fitz tugged his father's arm and the three of them moved a few steps until they were out of the reporters' hearing range.

"Dad, do you remember Olivia Pope?" Fitz said smoothly, smiling down at Olivia and telling her with his eyes that everything would be okay. She then turned back to Mr. Grant as Fitz continued speaking. "Sorry. That would be Olivia Grant now wouldn't it darling? His arm shifted, as he slid his hand around her bare waist. "We just got married and I guess it's going to take both of us some time to adjust." He said easily, giving her a heart-stopping smile. She smiled back; very much aware of the reporters lifting their cameras and already clicking away, ready to scoop up the latest gossip. She gazed back at the great patriarch and inclined her head slightly before offering him a bright smile.

"So glad to see you again, sir." She said watching the older man's eyes scrutinizing her, his lips twisting to the side before briefly lifting his hand to his chin, and giving her a curious brow.

"Pope?" he cocked his head, giving her a slow smile. "I think I remember your father quite well…"

Olivia's ready smile faded as she realized the implications. It was clear that the man remembered the family scandal that had caused her much pain and embarrassment. It's not as if she didn't expect it, she did. But she had hoped that the subject wouldn't have come up tonight.

Realizing what was happening, Fitz cleared his throat and attempted to salvage the situation. "Olivia also went to St. Martin's…she has a great gift for languages and tutored me in Spanish during my senior year."

"Oh, yes...That would make you the young lady who kept my son in line that one year back in high school…when he was in danger of getting academic probation is that correct?" Jerry asked, his gaze indicating that he remembered her and she laughed lightly, tilting her head as she gave Fitz a 'loving' glance.

"Yes sir. Although I suppose it'll be my job to keep him in line once again." She teased, happy that she'd dodged a bullet.

"I wasn't that bad sweetheart." Fitz pouted with an amused expression.

"You were impossible Fitz! You were always running off when you were supposed to be studying. I had to practically duct tape you to your chair." She playfully scolded him which seemed to only amuse him more. It was like high school all over again. A click reminded her where she was as she swung around to see the reporters trying hard to contain their laughter as they observed the two of them. She felt her cheeks heat at her blunder and the attention focused on her. But a deep chuckle distracted her from worrying about them. She looked up to see Jerry smiling down at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Now I remember why I like you, Olivia." He said rather charmingly even though in truth he barely remembered her. For the most part, he had been an absentee father, a distant and cold figure throughout his son's childhood and thus had little recollection of his activities let alone his friendships. "Welcome to the family and good luck with this one. Don't be afraid to use some tough love to straighten him out." He smiled; clamping his right hand on Fitz's upper arm and his left hand on Olivia's in fatherly way and murmuring a congratulations before moving off to mingle with his other guests. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, somehow, she'd passed the test with flying colors.

"Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention, please?" Jerry's voice commanded with a practiced smile, looking into the sea of people in the room. He didn't continue until he was satisfied he had everyone's attention. "I would like to introduce this lovely young woman as the new Mrs. Fitz Grant," he said smiling proudly at the couple. "Welcome to the family, Olivia," he added with a courteous bow.

There was a short round of applause, and before Olivia could register the shock over the announcement and at Jerry's easy acceptance of her as his son's wife, they were surrounded by vultures. Fitz's hand at her waist tugged her closer as he tried to shield her from the sudden attention, knowing how it made her uncomfortable. Reporters began to rapid fire questions at them at rapid speed, the flashes from their cameras blinding her.

"So you two are old friends?"

"When did you two start officially dating?"

"Why was the marriage kept a secret from the public?"

"Mr. Grant! Does this mean the rumors about you and the actress Hillary Huff are false?"

"How will this new relationship affect your work with the company?"

Olivia's mind zeroed on Hillary Huff and how she was definitely the kind of woman he would definitely go for. She was still wondering if there was any truth to such rumors when Fitz took charge of the situation, his charming smile never once leaving his face as he answered their questions selectively.

"Yes, Olivia and I have been friends for many years. I wanted to keep my darling wife to myself for as long as I could before having to share her with everyone else. And I am more than confident that I will be able to split my attentions between my wife and my work. I can do both. What's more, as I start this new chapter in my life, I'm more than prepared to give Grant Enterprises my very best," He stated with great confidence and just as they were about to start up again he held up his hand and gave them an apologetic smile.

"Olivia, how does it feel to be the new Mrs. Grant," a female reporter asked.

"Happy, very happy."

The reporter continued with a curious expression, "Why elope when you could have had the wedding of the year with one of America's top ten bachelors?

Olivia's natural smile faded. She had zero experience in dealing with reporters and the media.

Fitz quickly intervened, "Sorry everyone, but I promised to introduce my wife to a few more people tonight so I need to steal her away." Fitz explained and began to turn them away when one shouted.

"May we have another quick picture Mr & Mrs. Grant?"

Fitz looked down at her with a gentle look and whispered, but still loud enough for them to hear.

"What do you think, honey?"

She nodded, having recovered enough to collect her persona once more as she smiled at the reporters, hiding her discomfort behind a smiling mask (she was a very private person). Fitz smiled wider, flashing his joy and showing her he was proud at her performance before schooling his features as they faced the cameras. His arm remained fixed around her waist as they allowed a few pictures before Fitz stole her away for real this time.

"You did great Liv. Not just with my dad, but with all of it. I knew you were perfect."

His praise made her smile even as she shook her head, "I can't believe your far-fetched plan is working. I was sure your father would be harder to win over and would question such a rash decision." She mused quietly for his ears only.

He shrugged and glanced around the room at the people in attendance "I really doubt he's fully accepted it, but with the reporters there he had no choice. But I know the man well and he wasn't putting on any acts when he spoke to you at the end. I told you he would love you." Fitz chuckled and she sighed once more as he brought them to the refreshment table and offered her a flute of champagne while taking one for himself. Olivia happily sipped the cool liquid, calming her nerves and soothing her dry throat. She scanned the crowd and moved closer to him so he could hear her low whisper.

"So tell me exactly who else I should be wary of?" She said, remembering their brief discussion while she changed. He had only hinted that there were others being considered for the presidency if Fitz was deemed unfit to fill the role. He hadn't been specific in the details, but she had heard the irritation in his voice when he spoke of it and decided not to press him further. And even now he snorted as his eyes narrowed.

"Only one really." He drained his drink and gestured for a waiter to collect their flutes. "Do you remember my weasel cousin Jonathan?" He asked and her lower lip jutted out as she tried to place the name with a face.

"Vaguely...is he the one who begged me to give him my panties like in _Fifteen Candles_ in crazy scheme to convince his buddies that he'd slept with me ?" She asked and Fitz laughed remembering the movie which always played in the background whenever he and Olivia hang out in the family room with their backpacks and their books. Noting that they were still drawing attention to themselves, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, leaning into her ear so that it seemed like they were simply flirting with one another.

His nearness sent shivers down her spine in a delightful way. Never had she felt such an awareness of a man in front of her, of his legs so near, of his face as he looked down at her so intently. His arm moved to wrap more around her back which allowed his forearms to press ever so slightly into her shoulder. She felt surrounded by him, but not oppressively so.

"No, that was my other cousin Mark and I had completely forgotten about the beating you issued to him that day. Jonathan is the one who used to follow you around like a devoted puppy looking for a scratch behind the ears. He lived with us for about a year after his father passed away. Remember?"

It clicked for her right then and a flash of recognition crossed her features, "Oh, yes. I remember. I couldn't stand him. He would pop up out of nowhere when we hung out. Why was he so fixated on me anyways? I must have turned him down a hundred times." She wondered as walked down memory lane.

Fitz snorted and tugged her closer as his eyes scanned the room. It was then that he saw the man in question arriving late at the party and being greeted by the host. His gaze shifted back to Olivia.

"He was convinced that you were my secret love. Even though we both dated other people in high school, he was positive that you were my first love or something and he wanted to steal you from me." He muttered, rolling his eyes and she snorted with laughter as well at the absurdness of it all.

"You're making that up! There's no way that was his reason." She said and Fitz grinned down at her and held up his hand.

"I swear…we fought a lot over this, you know," He paused, caught up in the memories. "He wanted me to back off and I kept demanding that he leave you alone. He was such an ass, he even got nasty playing pranks on me when I least expected it. " He said, and at his interjection she had giggled, because she had almost made a snide comment.

Instead, Olivia shook her head in disapproval, "You know that's really pathetic. What did you do to warrant such animosity?" She asked and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"You know how much of a tyrant I am..." He said sardonically. "I tried to treat him like a younger brother and toughen him up but he was always so sensitive. But then again my Aunt Lydia always coddled him, much to Uncle Charles' annoyance." He chuckled again and she shook her head, knowing there was more to the story by the look in his eyes. But they had a mutual respect and an unspoken agreement not to pry into the other's secrets. If he wanted her to know, he would have told her the complete story.

"Okay. Do you think I'll run into him anytime soon?" She whispered and noticed that Fitz suddenly stiffened, his eyes on someone behind her. She watched as they darkened with an emotion close to loathing. Slowly she turned to face the newcomer and was actually surprised when she saw the man in question standing there. From her memory, she remembered a lanky kid that looked like a plain twig next to Fitz's handsome frame and his shaggy, surfer hairstyle.

This man...this could not be the same Jonathan that she had met. He was much taller now, nearly as tall as Fitz. His body had trimmed out and she was sure that he had an athlete's physique based on the way his dress clothes clung to him, outlining everything for those watching. His hair had been kissed by the sun so that now it wasn't a dull brown, but an eye-catching dark blonde that was worn long, swept back with the ends tickling the back of his neck. His dark brow eyes were the same, but held a much sharper and intimidating glint to them than she remembered.

"Jonathan...always a pleasure to see you," Fitz said, but there was no warmth behind his words and Olivia stiffened as her mind reeled, trying to match the name with the man. She was having a hard time believing this could be the same boy that annoyed her to the brink of murder back then.

Jonathan smiled, flashing perfect teeth as he inclined his head to Fitz, "Same here, cousin. I was hoping to speak with you tonight, but I didn't think you would be in such good company."

His eyes shifted to Olivia and the heat behind them made her take notice. No doubt, he was being openly flirtatious.

"Olivia...I haven't seen your beautiful face in years. How have you been?" He asked and she opened her mouth, but no words came out. Fitz stared down at her with a worried look in his eyes and his fingers dug into her skin, finally jolting her back to Earth.

She blinked and subtly shook her head, her focus back on Jonathan. "I've been fine. But I have to say not as well as you apparently. I didn't recognize you at all." She said with a friendly twinkle in her eye.

In response, Jonathan's eyes crinkled at the corners, "all the effort was worth it if in the end I can gain the approval of a lovely woman like you Olivia," he smiled brightly and puffed out his chest, " I had always hoped to see you again."

"I highly doubt that considering how long it's been. You've probably got a long list of admirers that are vying for your attention." She teased.

"Ah," he grinned chuckling softly, "but none could ever compare to the woman who stole my heart all those years ago," he added, his eyes darkened with a familiar flame that she instantly recognized.

Olivia felt Fitz stiffen slightly next to her and she sought his gaze. Seeing the way they sparked with annoyance reminded her whose side she was on. And so, she slipped her arm around his waist, and smiled, silently willing him to relax. And it worked. Fitz's easy smile returned and she nodded subtly to him, passing the baton to him. He fixed his eyes on Jonathan once more and gave him a smug smile wrapping both arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him rather possessively.

"Sorry, cousin. But this wonderful beauty has already given her heart to me. You'll have to choose another." He said.

Olivia noted the satisfaction flash in Fitz's eyes just as Jonathan's smile instantly faded. Part of her felt sort of flattered .

"Surely you're joking Fitz. You always swore that Olivia was nothing but a little sister to you." Jonathan accused, his dark brown eyes hardening with suspicion.

Fitz simply shrugged. "Feelings change." He whispered and she was shocked to see something soften in his eyes when his gaze met hers. She saw true affection shining through as his gaze lowered to rest upon her lips as if to illustrate his point. Her heart pounded in her chest as the two of them shared a moment, acknowledging how much they meant to the other. The moment was broken however, when Fitz glanced back at Jonathan with a triumphant smile as he prepared to deliver the 'final blow'.

"So don't even think of flirting with my wife again." He retorted, enjoying the way the Jonathan's eyes widened and briefly flashed in rage before he covered it up with a cool look once more.

Jonathan gave the couple a polite smile and nodded. "Congratulations are in order then. You have found yourself an amazing woman, Fitz. I wish you two all the happiness in your union. We should get together again soon, outside of work. It has been too long since we last caught up." He said all of this stoically except the last part which was directed at Olivia and held an undertone of some hidden promise. She heard a soft snort from Fitz and had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as they watched Jonathan walk away once more. When he was out of earshot she couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed behind her hand, drawing Fitz's attention back to her. She shook her head and grinned up at him.

"His looks may have changed, but I see his attitude sure hasn't." She teased and Fitz grimaced before they started mingling with the other guests. As they walked around the room, his hand possessively around her waist, a natural gesture of comfort. There was this undeniable synchrony in the way their bodies moved together and that he attributed to their longstanding friendship.

"He will never stop being an asshole. That kind of animosity is uncalled for considering he's already got a high position in our company. But he won't be happy until he gets he gets to preside over my father's company." Fitz huffed and she sighed, shaking her head as she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and whispered just loud enough so he could hear.

"I know this company inside and out. There's no reason to deny me what I've worked for and what's rightfully mine, or tell me that I can't live the high life at the same time." He said, pouting like a child and she shook her head at that. But she was not worried because she knew that despite his attitude, Fitz would achieve his dream at the end. Once he set his eyes on something, he never gave up until he succeeded.

Fitz's eyes narrowed as he caught Jonathan still staring in their direction, particularly at Olivia while seemingly engaged in a conversation with a middle aged couple.

"Do me a favor, Olivia, will you?" He whispered as they both moved to the banquet table to help themselves to some appetizers and more champagne.

She cocked her head, "what is it?"

"Stay clear of that loser," he said with a jealous tinge in his voice, "I don't trust him at all."

"Sure," she shrugged. Deep inside, her heart did a happy dance which she immediately suppressed. She cared for Fitz as a friend only. Quinn had been wrong to suggest otherwise and while it was true that she'd had a crush on him as a teenager, it was certainly a thing of the past.

For the next half hour, Fitz introduced Olivia to key players at Grant Enterprises and their wives and they also mingled in the crowd - sipping champagne. While she enjoyed socializing, she couldn't help feeling uneasy, aware of Jonathan admiring her from afar. Her gut told her that Jonathan was up to something. While nibbling on her plate of appetizers, she watched Jonathan approach Jerry Grant and murmur something in his ear. Both men glanced in her direction and then swiftly turned back to each other in conversation.

* * *

Fitz guided her to a second adjoining room and sat down at a table to enjoy a quiet chat along with their appetizers. She turned to say something to Fitz and at once felt him stiffen beside her. She followed his gaze and nearly let out a gasp of surprise.

Every head swivel in direction of a very leggy blonde, her sharp bob dropping squarely on her shoulders. Olivia stifled a groan as the attractive woman made a beeline in their direction.

Fitz's expression darkened. The last thing he needed was to deal with his old flame/high school sweetheart tonight of all nights. After making brief eye contact with him, he watched her stop to greet others along the way and parade her cleavage around the room. "I had no idea she'd be here." He said to Olivia in a deflated tone. He became tense. Gone were his signature smirk and laid back demeanor. "Last I heard she married a tycoon, a movie producer and was living somewhere in Great Britain."

"Okay…well, then, it's showtime," Olivia replied locking her gaze with Fitz. _Let's show her what she missed out on_ , she conveyed to him with a single look. Fitz nodded, that familiar smirk of his slowly returning to his face.

They both stood with their shoulders touching, their body language revealing the closeness of their relationship.

Tiffany stalked towards them and said, "Fitz, darling, how are you?" The former prom queen tried to give him a hug but he dodged away. Her body language said it all when she chose to ignore Olivia completely and focused one hundred percent of her blue-eyed attention on Fitz.

"Tiffany, you remember my wife, Olivia?" He said proudly, heaving his chest, and wrapping his arm nicely around Olivia's waist.

Then, Tiffany turned to Olivia with a frosty smile, "Olivia, long time no see." She ran her eyes dismissively over Olivia. _Surely, it couldn't be true? The press had it all wrong, hadn't they? In any event, she had to pretend she had not heard of this… shot gun wedding of sorts_ (a friend had tipped her off and she decided to attend the party at the last minute) _._

"Tiffany," Olivia said the woman's name in an icy tone, meeting her gaze decidedly. She couldn't think of anyone she despised more. So the she-devil was being polite. Her gaze shifted to Fitz and they had a twenty second conversation with their eyes, one where Fitz was reminded him of all the times Tiffany had dumped him AND all the times Olivia had been there to pick up the pieces. In response, Fitz made it clear to her where his loyalties were.

"Let's cut the niceties, Tiffany." Fitz said abruptly, his arm still wrapped around Olivia. At this point he wanted nothing but revenge. "We will pretend you congratulated us and all. "What are you doing here anyway? Who invited you?" Most likely Jonathan, he assumed. The weasel was always looking for ways to steal his old man's favor and Fitz's rightful inheritance to boot.

Tiffany threw her head back and laughed as though he'd said something funny. "Life does so many twists and turns, doesn't it? I left a married woman," She chuckled again her eyes glued on Fitz. "And now I'm back in the US living the life of a single woman."

"If you excuse us, there's other people _my wife_ needs to meet," Fitz said smugly and without waiting for a response, he swiftly guided Olivia away from Tiffany.

He introduced Olivia to a couple who had known the Grant family for years. They remembered Olivia and the four of them exchanged some pleasantries.

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Tiffany head for the restroom. She leaned closer to Fitz and mumbled, "I will be right back."

Fitz leaned closer. "Before you go. Just know that I have no interest whatsoever in Tiffany. It's over between us for good."

Olivia gave him a probing look.

"I mean it, Liv. Don't let her get on your nerves. She likes to play games, we both know that."

"I lost count of how many times she dumped you and you wound up back together somehow."

Fitz shook his head. Yes, Tiffany was the _femme fatale_ that had played games with his heart. The last straw had been when she'd called off their wedding five years ago. She'd shattered his heart into a million pieces. Ever since then, he'd slept with countless of women and swore to himself he would never fall in love again. "Liv, listen to me. I will never EVER go back with that woman. I'd rather die first," he said with the same fierce determination which he had vowed his fidelity the day they became husband and wife. "You do believe me, don't you? He pleaded with his eyes. It was of the essence that she believe he would never lie to her or disrespect her in any way…. because in the end, her opinion of him was the _only_ opinion that really mattered.

Even though their marriage was fake, he felt he owed her that much respect and loyalty. What's more, he would never do anything to jeopardize their friendship; losing her was not a an option. He had guy friends but it wasn't the same. His Livvie was the one true friend he could trust with all his heart.

"I am with you, Liv," he continued looking into her eyes, "I will never cheat or deceive you, ever."

Olivia saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes and gave him a small smile of reassurance. She knew those eyes of his like the palm of his hand. And she believed him one hundred percent. Of course she did. It wasn't him that she was worried about but her, Tiffany. She had no idea what her agenda was. One thing seemed clear, this was no coincidence; the queen of hearts was back in their lives for a reason.

Olivia eyed the hallway. She needed to hurry, her window of opportunity was closing. "Okay, gotta go now," she murmured.

* * *

She walked past the sitting room and into a small restroom with only three stalls. The only person there was Tiffany who was standing in front of a wall length mirror retouching her makeup. She eyed Olivia through the mirror with hostility. Olivia met her gaze and then stood beside her. She then set her clutch on the long counter, checked her makeup and re-applied her lipstick; all in complete silence.

It was all too much for Tiffany, the silence was beginning to unnerve her.

"How long do you think it will last?"

"Excuse me?" Olivia shot back feeling instantly aggravated.

"When he gets bored with you, he'll come back to me, like he always has."

They continued to speak to each other through the image in the mirror, each interaction escalating in intensity.

"If you want him so badly, why did you let him go in the first place?" Olivia blurted out the question she'd been wanting to scream at her every time she broke his heart.

Tiffany shrugged with an unconcerned smile on her face. "I didn't say I wanted him…he'll come running back to me without me having to lift a finger," she scoffed, "like always. I'm the love of his life, don't you see? I'm the only woman he's ever wanted," she went on smugly.

Olivia cast a furious glance at her rival. She wanted to punch this damn woman and knock all her teeth out one by one for all the times she treated Fitz like a discarded toy.

"Whatever you two had in the past must have been trifling seeing I'm the one with the wedding ring."

Tiffany threw her head back and laughed. "We'll see about that."

Her laughter served to infuriate Olivia. Heat flamed her face. "Listen to me, b**," she turned and got into the woman's personal space. "You better stay away from my husband…" she pointed her index finger right at her face and lowered her voice a few notches. "If I catch you coming any where near him, I will beat your ass," she murmured between clenched teeth. "And just so we're clear this is NOT high school and you're going to respect me, do you understand?"

Tiffany recoiled fearfully, even though she was nearly a head taller than Olivia. Deep down, Tiffany was a coward who avoided direct confrontation. She worked best in the shadows planting seeds of discord.

"Do you understand?" Olivia repeated.

In response, Tiffany just stared at her.

Olivia turned on her heels and walked out of the restroom She waltzed back to the party room with her head held high, looking right through anyone who stared at her. She passed Jonathan who had been hiding in a small niche along a very long corridor and went on to the party room.

Moments later, Tiffany emerged from the restroom and Jonathan sprinted in her direction. "Tiffany, wait," he called after her, hoping that she was the answer to his prayers.

 **A/N: okay, just in case you' re thinking that this story is heading toward a love triangle. No, this won't be that kind of story. If you've read my other stories, you know that. Jonathan and Tiffany are in this story for a different reason. You're gonna have to trust me here. Please.**

please tell me what you think


	5. Living Together

**A/N:**

A couple of you asked, whatever happened to _Whatever Happens?_ the good news is that I' m working on it and plan to continue thru Thanksgiving break. _ **  
**_

Thank you all for your support for this story and your messages of 'just keep doing your thing.' I really, really appreciate them. They keep me going. Writing doesn't come easy to me . I don't get it right the first time or the second or third. It takes time for me to fully develop a chapter. What you see is my seventh draft after many re-writes.

About last chapter: I almost had them kissing at the party, but then, it would have been over way too soon. When they finally do kiss, it wouldn't be for show, and it will be magical :)

This chapter starts with them coming home after the party. Enjoy!

Ps. The original title for this story was The perfect Match

* * *

Chapter Five: Living Together

"That went quite well, don't you think?" Fitz said with a smirk, referring to the party and closing the door behind him as they got back to his three story penthouse.

"Yeah, I suppose, considering that the whole time I was wondering when your father was gonna ask me about _my bun in the oven,_ " she noted with the slightest of grins as she started up the stairs to the third floor where their sleeping quarters were located.

Her comment made him smile as he followed her upstairs. "You gotta admit it was kind of funny when my mom thought you were pregnant." Even though they hadn't really discussed it, he' d seen the look in his mother's eyes, the look that said she was already planning the mailing list for the birth announcements.

Taking his comment in stride, she threw him a glance over her shoulder as they went past the second floor and up to the third.

"No, no, seriously. Did you see the sparkle in her eyes? She's been wanting a grand-kid for years…I guess I never realized how much it means to her." He couldn't help but notice how sexy she looked in that dress. It hugged her body in all the right places.

"And how you feel about that?" She ventured stopping for a moment and throwing him another glance over her shoulder. She was sure those two glasses of champagne—even though she barely touched the second one- were giving her more bravado than she actually had.

He considered her question more pensive, less playful. "I don't know. Hmm…it would certainly cheer her up some." In truth, he wished there was something he could do to help alleviate his mother's recurring bouts of depression.

Olivia hesitated for a moment before turning to her bedroom - the first door to the left of the staircase landing, right across from his. It was spacious and exquisitely decorated Victorian style. The bed was a stunning center piece carved with silver ornate details; the headboard and foot-board were handsomely upholstered with button tufted white leather cushions. She was just thankful that the room fit her tastes. Mostly because she had a major role in picking out the interior design with Fitz and even though this room was officially a guest room, it had always been meant for her to use if she ever needed it for one reason or another.

This was her room now; the place where she'd be sleeping for who knows how long. She turned the lamp to low. She then ran her hand against the silky duvet, loving how buttery soft it felt.

"It's still pretty funny," He reiterated with a mischievous smirk, leaning against the threshold.

"You know something, Fitz?" she cocked her head slightly and met his gaze. She loved his playful side, even if some sometimes he got a little carried away, even if they BOTH got carried away. "I hate to break it to you... but not everything in life is a big joke," she added in mock annoyance, hands on her hips.

"You're actually pretty cute when you're upset."

Predictably, her face broke into a slow smile, "Fitzgerald Grant, are you trying to butter me up or something?"

"And I need to butter you up to get _what?"_ He countered his voice laced with unmistakable innuendo.

Olivia felt a warmth to her cheeks and looked away; that playful smirk of his was making her knees weak, her mind numb and her insides melt.

Fortunately, she still had some common sense left and eased onto the bed in a sleek and graceful manner. Only then did she realize how tired her feet were.

"Fitz, great party, I enjoyed myself. But I'm completely bushed." She said before reaching for a decorative pillow and hugging it to her chest.

Fitz tried his best to hide his disappointment with a nod. With a nearly imperceptible sigh, he mumbled a 'good night'. He started for the door but then stopped and turned around. The only thing he could do was to linger at the threshold wishing he could stay with her for at least another couple of hours; just being with her and listening to the sound of her voice. The feeling was so intense it glued him in place.

Thinking she was alone, Olivia took her time taking off her heels and pantyhose. He bit his lip, watching her with a lopsided grin. As his eyes lifted from her high heels up the stocking seams, he suddenly imagined her long sexy legs clutching around him in the nude.

He looked away, chasing away the vision in his head. _What's the matter with me?_ He pondered, bewildered. This was Olivia, his best friend.

When he looked at her again, she had pulled the pantyhose down and off and was about to roll it into a ball. Again, much to his dismay he couldn't just ignore how one of her naked knees winked up at him in the fragile light of the room.

He couldn't stop staring at her.

And then of course, when she caught him staring, he felt like the proverbial choir boy getting caught fantasizing about the pleasures of the flesh. A shower of sparks flew between them, leaving them speechless.

Moments later, Fitz cleared his throat, his mind thinking of excuses as to why he was still standing there. But his mind went blank for a second or two. At last, he murmured, " just wanted to let you know that...uh.. Well, that I really appreciate everything you've done for me, Liv. Sweet dreams." he said before disappearing across the hall and without waiting for a response.

What had just happened? Olivia wondered. There had been some kind of electricity in the air and they both sort of flirted (?) with each other all evening long. Plus, she could have sworn she'd just seen _something_ in his eyes. No, no, it had to be a be a figment of her imagination. There was nothing there. Fitz and she had always been the best of friends and that's all they'll ever be.

 **Xxx**

Fitz tossed and turned, his mind replaying the events of the day until he finally gave up and turned on the bedside lamp, propped himself on pillows, and took a book off his nightstand. The book was supposedly part detective novel and part suspense and quite entertaining, but he's been reading it every night before bed and he was still on page 22. **  
**

An hour later, he realized he'd been stuck reading the same page for the better part of an hour. He put the book away. As he closed his eyes and put his mind to rest, he couldn't help but wonder what Olivia looked like when she slept. He pictured her pure and sweet, dressed in white and a makeshift veil, a vision to behold. He pictured her in the present day, ethereally beautiful; looking like a bride should look from the stars in her eyes to the blush in her cheek.

 _Like it was meant to be._

In fact, she was like a star pulling him into her gravitational field, dominating his thoughts until he surrendered, and made her the center of his universe.

Suddenly, he heard her voice calling for him.

Was this a dream?

Her voice became urgent, desperate.

"Help!"

At once, he snapped out of his musings and he dashed into her room without knocking, clad in a cotton t-shirt and a pair of blue striped lounge-wear pants.

It took a moment for his vision to adjust to the semi-darkness of the room, save for the streaks of moonlight coming in through the curtains. He felt a tightening in the chest and drew in a breath when he saw her wrestling with the covers in her sleep, thrashing her head from side to side, her features pinched in distress.

"No!" She exclaimed although her eyes didn't open. "Help, help!"

"Livvie," he whispered, not wanting to frighten her. She was shaking. "Wake up…it's okay, I'm here, I'm here."

"Help, help, somebody please!"

"Olivia!" he said a little louder, leaning over her, his hands holding onto her trembling shoulders, "Wake up, Liv, you're dreaming."

Her eyes flew open, startled.

He knelt by her side and cradled her in his arms, "Shh, it's alright, **"** he mumbled into her hair and she instantly relaxed."It was just a dream." **  
**

They stayed in a sweet embrace until the pounding of heart normalized and synchronized with his.

"I was locked in a broom closet and I couldn't get out, someone had locked it from outside..." she said at last, wiping away the tears, "It was cramped in there...only wide enough for a bucket and two mops. It's always the same..."

 **"** Every once in a while, I have this recurring dream… I dream I've fallen down many flights of stairs and I just keep rolling down with no end in sight."

"Did you ever roll down the stairs in real life? She asked. A second later she regretted asking.

 **"** No…have you?" Still kneeling beside her bed, he pulled back searching her gaze. She shook her head no. "Liv, have you ever been locked in a closet?" He asked the question thinking that she come back with a childhood tale of a hide and seek game gone wrong.

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Maybe she should have told him back then what happened on his prom night all those years ago; but just like back then, the words got stuck in her throat.

T _iffany and her friends tricked me and locked me up in the broom closet._

In her dreams, she had relived the trauma in a series of flashes; the raw fear and the heavy pounding on the door for what seemed like hours but that in reality –according to her watch—had only been fifteen minutes. At the time, she had panicked thinking no one would hear her cries until Monday morning when school was again in session. Further, everyone was gathered at the auditorium on the other side of the school. No, but Fitz would look for her once he realized she was missing. All she had to do was keep making noise. At last, a janitor came and unlocked the door. In her dreams, however, no one ever came to her rescue.

In real life, she never told anyone. As far as Fitz knew, she just took a little longer than usual to return from a trip to the ladies room. In reality, she hadn't been gone long enough for him to worry.

Tonight at the party, she had jumped at the chance to show Tiffany that Olivia Pope (Grant) wasn't the same nerdy girl she used to know with her head stuck in a book. She was a different person now; this new Olivia was perfectly capable of standing up for herself.

Still, there was no way she could tell Fitz or anyone else about this. Coming forward with this now would make her feel too vulnerable and too exposed. Indeed, the last thing she wanted was to be seen as a victim in Fitz's eyes even if it had happened such a long time ago.

Thinking that she was still pretty shaken up by her nightmare, Fitz held her tight a little bit longer, kissing her hair and breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

"Fitz stay with me, tonight," she asked, searching his eyes.

How could he say no to that? He thought, his gaze dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second too long. She responded by dropping her gaze to his chest, unable to bounce back to his handsome face.

"Can't sleep without my pillow," Fitz rose and came around to the other side of the bed, "I'll be right back." he muttered before exiting the room.

After he returned with his pillow, he got comfy under the covers with her. Feeling his heat, she naturally gravitated to him and so did he as if they'd done this same thing hundred of times, as if they'd been living together for years as husband and wife.

Before long she drifted into sleep, his presence putting her mind to rest. Watching her as she slept, nestled in his arms, he pondered on what had changed between them. He sighed, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

He was hesitant to put a name to this something he felt at the moment. And yet, at the same time, there was this flame burning within raging at the mere thought of there being even the slightest chance that HIS Livvie was romantically interested in Jonathan. He gritted his teeth just thinking of HIS Livvie with another man.

Livvie. HIS Livvie.

Somewhere along the way—not sure when- she became HIS Livvie.

She was THE ONE.

It was that simple AND that complicated.

He furrowed his brow in deep thought. _What kind of fool was I for lusting after someone else?_ He pondered with the flame burning deeper in his chest. How could he'd been so blind? The other woman had been nothing but a toxic obsession that nearly led him on a path of self-destruction, he realized with a pang. All those years wasted, all the misery had been for naught.

His gaze dropped to the beauty sleeping in his arms. And for the first time, he considered what would happen if they became more than friends. He allowed the thought to dwell in his mind and take shape deep within. Minutes passed. With each passing second he became convinced it was no use trying to fight the pull she created.

A little while later, he carefully adjusted his position with her still curled up in the crook of his arm and drifted off to sleep with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

A few hours had passed and Fitz awoke to something. He wasn't sure what. He and Olivia had shifted positions in their sleep and now he felt her stir beside him. Was she having another nightmare again? In the semi-darkness of the room, he turned a little so that he could peer down at her. She was sleeping peacefully as a sliver of light coming from the back window illuminated her face, and he faintly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her skin was so soft. She looked like an angel with streaks of moonlight seemingly spilling over her face.

As he found himself barely tracing the outline of her lips, he was struck with the power of his own words coming from somewhere within him and overflowing his consciousness.

 _All these years, we've been looking for love in all the wrong places not realizing that the love of our lives had been there beside us… all along."_

 _Sorry, cousin. But this wonderful beauty has already given her heart to me. You'll have to choose another."_

He studied her every feature: The tilt of the eyebrows, her luscious lips and the corners of her mouth. On a physical level, his body was reacting as though she was his, but he reminded himself that in reality their marriage was a charade, in spite of what he'd said to the Weasel, she was not his.

He traced her lips again with the faintest of touches and she stirred a little. He wanted to draw her in a little closer and press his lips to hers. No, no. What was he thinking? He chastised himself. What if he lost her trust, her friendship? He didn't exactly have the best track record with women. In fact, his luck with women batted somewhere in the zero range. And if they crossed the line that he'd mentally drawn for himself, it could mean the end to their lifelong friendship. Perhaps, it would be different if she felt the same about him. But he had no reason to believe such a thing, did he? **  
**

 **xxx**

The next morning.

After having her breakfast in her room, Leila dozed off in her favorite armchair. She'd been asleep less than five minutes when the intercom buzzed, announcing her husband's arrival. At first, she didn't know what to make of this as this was not their normal routine. They slept in different rooms and saw very little of each other.

Fifteen minutes later she was dressed in an Ascot collar blouse tie neck style and matching tea length skirt, welcoming him with a polite smile.

"I'm sure you heard the news," Jerry said as a way of a greeting. Leila nodded and they stood there awkwardly.

Jerry didn't waste any time in getting straight to the point.

"So the two of them were just friends who just all of a sudden happen to fall in love?" Jerry grant said with skepticism. There was something going on for sure. It had to be money. Money was what made the world go round. Olivia Pope had married his son as a way to get back up the social ladder. From riches to rags AND back to riches again.

"Awfully convenient for them both if you ask me," he snarled.

She eased into her armchair and watched him saunter over to the mini-bar in the foyer that led to her bedroom. He came back with two glasses of scotch. He handed her a glass and then sat in the armchair across from hers.

A little early for scotch, she thought but said nothing. Thank goodness she was not a drinker.

He nearly drained his glass. "You look happy," he observed, peering at her guardedly.

At last, Leila spoke. "Yes, I'm happy, very happy. **Olivia is perfect for Fitz, they're the perfect match,** " she stated with a smile and followed by a tiny sip of her drink before setting it down on the side table beside her.

"Oh, please!" Jerry looked at his wife as if he was seeing her again for the first time in years. For a moment there he thought maybe they'd time traveled back to the eighties. And it wasn't just her hairstyle—Farrah Fawcett, Lady Diana, he didn't know which—or her wardrobe. It went beyond that. Her face was certainly brighter than ever and nearly wrinkle free; amazingly she looked much younger as if she'd managed somehow to turn back the clock overnight.

"How do you know? Do you know this woman, have you spent any time with her?"

"They visited me last night before your party.." She looked away with a wistful expression, thinking she couldn't let Jerry put a damper on her good mood. While it was true that she didn't know Olivia all that well, she considered herself to be a pretty good judge of character. It had taken her many years to develop such skill; otherwise she wouldn't have married a man like Jerry Grant.

"You should hear how Fitz spoke about her, the way he looks at her," She went on, her smile growing wider. "He was happy. He's in love with her and she's in love with him, it's plain to see. And you know what, I never saw him look at Tiffany in the same way." She sighed. Nothing mattered to her more than her son's happiness. He was her only hope. He was her reason for getting up every morning and hanging in there. "They're in love and it's so beautiful to see. I think they even breathe in sync."

Jerry shook his head with unmasked skepticism. "Personally, I believe Tiffany was better suited for our son."

"Tiffany was not good a good woman." She replied, wondering how her husband could be so clueless. But then again, he really did not Tiffany well enough to make a sound judgment, she thought. "She was too much into herself. She broke his heart. Remember? She was the one who called off the wedding?" The last sentence was more a sentence then a question.

"Okay, so I don't know the details. So what? Her father and I were in the middle of a merger. Anyway, it seems to me that Fitz let her get away." Jerry countered with a slight shrug. At the party he had been quite courteous, that was his style. It didn't mean he approved of the woman his son had married. Something in their 'spur of the moment romance' didn't add up. "Anyhow, I liked Tiffany… she's from a good family."

"So is Olivia," Leila argued back. "Her mother was a wonderful woman. She was the best charity organizer I ever met. She taught her daughter well. As I recall, she took Olivia with her on visits to St. Jude's Children's Hospital on a regular basis."

"Her father is a disgrace. He brought shame to his family, gambled away his fortune. "He cocked his head thoughtfully. "I'm sure you remember?" The news had traveled like wildfire. Everyone in their social circle turned their backs on Elijah Pope for filing bankruptcy and Jerry was no exception. "The girl's a gold digger."

Leila shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand you, Jerry. Our son has finally settled down with a fine girl and here you are questioning his choices. Olivia is a remarkable young woman; there is no doubt in my mind about that. The sins of her father speak nothing of her character. You should know better than that," She paused, gazing at him with drilling intensity, mentally rehearsing her next words. "You want to know what I think your problem is? You want to find fault with Fitz and his decisions no matter what they are, because you will never be happy. You have never loved him for what he is, your son. Don't you think he knows that? Don't you think he knows that he can never reach your unrealistic expectations and that you'll always be critical of him?"

While it was true that he disapproved of Fitz and even wished that Fitz was more like Jonathan who had the markings of an workaholic like himself, Jerry wasn't about to admit this to his estranged wife.

"That's not true, Leila, and you know it!" Jerry shot back defensively. He could hardly believe his wife was arguing with him. Was this the same woman who had barely spoken in years much less challenge any of his decisions?

"Really? Then prove it!"

Jerry narrowed his eyes.

"Show some faith in our son and his choices," she challenged him and his eyes widened in disbelief. Leila returned his gaze, her anger remaining. For the first time in many years, she felt the weight of her depression lifting. Now she had something to fight for—her son's happiness—something much greater than herself.

 **Xxx**

That same morning

Olivia awoke soon after as morning light filtered through the curtains. She peeked one eye open and at once remembered that this was her new room and the reason why Fitz was sleeping in her bed... the reason why he was holding her in a spooning position with his long legs wrapped possessively around her body. For a moment, she closed her eyes again and relaxed into his embrace, the intimacy of their position bringing a flush to her face.

She wanted him. Oh, God how she wanted him!

A fragment from her erotically super-charged dream eased into her consciousness causing a delicious jolt to flow through every cell in her body. She stayed in the moment, picturing Fitz making love to her with riveting passion. And then, just as suddenly, her visions went away as if her subconscious had cowered in shame.

She came to her senses and shifted position, before she melted into him or something... and made a colossal fool of herself. Soon enough, she caught her breath in awe of him. Even in his deepest sleep, his body instinctively turned towards her. With a feather touch, her fingertips traced a line down his jaw to his neck and chest, feeling the cozy warmth of his body through his soft cotton t-shirt.

Her gaze shifted back to his handsome face- relaxed and content- and her fingers, ever so lightly, traced the outline of his lips, amazed at her own boldness. His mouth was soft and slightly curved, as if he'd fallen asleep smiling.

Her heart went still.

He was THE ONE.

And there it was, at last, the truth that she could barely admit to herself glaring at her in plain sight.

She was in love with this beautiful man.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Instead of shutting down the thought, she let her muscles droop and stopped trying to control it (her Zen instructor would have been proud). What's more, she accepted it and watched it moved along like letters going across the page.

The problem was that Fitz wasn't in love with her….

He loved her yes, but only as a friend.

As if he could hear thoughts, he stirred a bit. He opened his eyes and at once remembered where he was and smiled at her candidly. She peered at him laying in a comfortable position on her side, and for once he thought she looked as though she was at peace with the world.

"Morning," he stared into her eyes still smiling. "Did you sleep okay?"

The moment she locked eyes with his, she felt embarrassed by the erotic thoughts still in her head. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

It took her a minute to catch her breath and utter a barely audible 'good morning'. He looked particularly cute first thing in the morning.

Just then, the alarm clock on the nightstand closest to her started beeping loudly, quickly bringing her out of her lust-induced trance.

After hitting the snooze button, she slid out of bed with as much grace as she could muster and headed to the connected bathroom. Halfway there, she doubled back and said, ""Fitz, thank you for staying with me last night."

He nodded with a boyish expression. and she retraced her steps, closing the bathroom behind her, before she made a fool of herself for staring. She couldn't imagine anything worse than carrying the torch of unrequited love.

As she stood under the shower spray, her body and mind instantly relaxed. Slowly, bits and pieces of last night's erotic dream consumed her thoughts and awakened feelings she didn't' know she had. Her arousal increased as she caressed herself and came almost instantly. She hadn't had sex in ages so she wasn't surprised...

She was pleasantly surprised, however, to find the shower stocked with her favorite shampoo and conditioner (Paul Mitchell, Awapuhi wild ginger). As she lathered up and rinsed her hair, she unintentionally thought of another time when she had been in similar routine. Technically, this was the second time she had stayed at Fitz's penthouse for an extended period of time. The first time had been three years ago, right after her dad filed for bankruptcy and lost everything and she'd ended up breaking off her engagement to a bona fide jerk whose name she couldn't even remember at the moment.

However, everything was different this time around. This time she wasn't recovering from a broken heart and Even if she had a role to play while living with Fitz, things were different now. This time the moments they were together were filled with laughter and banter, she happily hummed to herself, washing her hair and rinsing away the past along with the grime.

She stayed under the shower for the longest time after that and soon lost track of any sense of time.

"Livvie? Can I come in? I need to talk to you."

She could faintly hear Fitz's voice speaking from outside the door so she assumed he'd gone back to his own room and was now knocking on her bedroom door. So she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a nice medium size towel. She called out, "just getting out of the shower! You can come in," as she grabbed a second towel to dry her hair.

She flipped her hair forward to dry it, a cascade of curls covering her vision. The sound of a door clicking open was his response and she flipped her hair forward. She stalled in the motion of drying . Fitz was leaning against the door frame smirking at her, hair still wet from his shower, clad in jeans and a polo shirt.

She made a motion and the towel fell, exposing her perky breasts for a fraction of a second. Thankfully, she caught it before she was completely exposed and immediately secured it across her chest.

Wow.

He couldn't help but stare at the water droplets that fell from her hair and rippled down toward the space between her shapely breasts.

Their eyes met and stared at each other for the longest time, until she felt a warmth to her cheeks. In turn, his breath caught in his chest and he even forgot what he'd come here to say.

At last, he willed himself to stop ogling."Thank goodness it's just me and not some giant pervert," he teased and she rolled her eyes, flipping him off as she finished drying her hair. He stepped behind her as she went into the bedroom, heading for the master closet. "Any other man would be blown away, having a hard time keeping his hands off you."

"Thank goodness that to you I'm not a woman, just a cool guy with boobs," she shot back, glancing over her shoulder making sure that he'd stayed behind so she could get dressed, "Wait a second, I'm changing." She mumbled softly, sliding on her bra and underwear. He chuckled at the "Cool guys with boobs' part and waited before replying to her remark.

Olivia slid into the first thing she found: a backless halter style dress, bearing all of her shoulders and some of her chest. She quickly smoothed her hair with her hands in front of the mirror, thinking of going back to the bathroom for her flat iron. "Okay, I'm decent now," she called out to him.

"Hmm…I wouldn't exactly say that," He smirked bridging the distance between them.

Even though she had her back to him as she stood apparently re-thinking her wardrobe choices, he was struck with how much he wanted her. He wanted to kiss her, undress her, press her against him and caress every corner of her beautiful form... Yes, he NEEDED to touch her.

At once she felt his breath on her skin, as he came up behind her, surprising her with his closeness. Olivia held her breath, suddenly feeling more exposed now than when she was wearing a towel. And of course she forgot all about the flat iron.

"Oh, you are most definitely a woman my dear. A very fine model if I may say so. And I have a good eye for beautiful women," he said with a slanted grin, "or so I've been told."

"How flattering," She deadpanned, turning around to face him. She shook her head and sighed, he had certainly taken his playfulness to a whole new level and if she didn't know any better she would think he was flirting with her. Was it all her imagination? She made a motion to move past him, wanting to put some distance between them.

But he moved to block her way and murmured, "It is when coming from me sweetheart. And I need to reiterate how lovely you truly are. Nobody would ever mistake you for anything other than a woman." He purred into her ear, his warm breath tickling her and stirring feelings she didn't know she had. "Let's examine you further." He whispered rather boldly, wrapping his arm around her waist, his warm breath now moving down her neck.

"Fitz! S-Stop!" She laughed, the skin there had always been overly sensitive and she was ridiculously ticklish. He naturally tightened his hold and she struggled against it in between giggles, but was no match for his strength. This encouraged him further and he laughed in response to her laughter.

"See Liv? No man could laugh like that. Which means I can proudly title you a woman," he teased and she squealed as he blew air into her ear, she bent over his arm, trying to get away from him. He laughed and wrapped his other arm around her, hauling her back up so that she was flush against him. He chuckled and moved towards her neck again. The next moment Olivia stilled as a tiny gasp escaped her lips. Fitz also froze, the sound striking him hard. Without thinking about what he was doing, he then pressed his lips against the soft skin at the base of her neck.

The heat from his lips sent a surprised jolt through her body and caused her to tremble, and she gasped again at the sensation. Her neck was also sensitive in a different area, but this feeling was something else altogether. His lips felt like a whisper and a new sensation filled her.

Her scent, fresh from the shower and enormously captivating, wrapped around him, drugging his senses. And then, he pulled back instantly, as if he'd been struck by lightening and she rubbed the spot that still tingled from his touch as if in a sort of trance.

"Oops. Sorry, Liv. You're really ticklish there," he said, rubbing the back of his head, and she noticed a light blush on his cheeks.

She swallowed and laughed it off too, but the laugh was dry and weak. They looked away from each other and an alien awkwardness crept in.

And they both spoke at the same time.

"Fitz-"

"Liv I-"

They blinked in surprise and they both laughed, this time more at ease.

"Sorry, Liv. I got carried away in my teasing again. I'll give you one free shot as long as it's not the eye or below the belt." He offered with his easy smile.

"It's alright, Fitz. I was just surprised. My neck is extremely sensitive and I'm not used to being tickled there. Really, I was just caught off guard, so don't worry," she replied with a smile, desperately wanting him to believe that her response to him didn't really mean anything else.

She moved past him to get to her jewelry drawers set right in the middle of a long row of closet rods on either side. It took her seconds to select a shiny gold necklace and matching dropdown earrings.

"Right. Yeah, sorry again, Livvie. Next time I won't get carried away with my teasing." He whispered, coming up behind her to fasten the necklace around her neck. A wave of raw need washed over him, the urgent need to trail kisses down the length of her neck and bury himself deep inside her.

Once again, she moved past him toward the bathroom and leaving the door wide open. As he realized she wanted to style her hair, he sat on the bed on an angle which gave him a good view of her standing by sink. And he watched her work wonders with her straightening iron and hairdryer, wanting desperately to tangle his fingers in her hair and appease the sensual creature inside him.

"So what's for breakfast… sweet wife of mine?" He grinned as she went into the walk-in closet to fasten her earrings (she always put them on last so they wouldn't snag as she styled her hair).

"What? Do I have to constantly cook for you now?" She playfully whined while fastening one of the earrings in place.

He rose to his feet, "because you're my adoring wife who loves me so much that you want to be sure I eat right." His grin widened and she rolled her eyes in response. "Oh, c'mon, you're not planning on feeding me a steady diet of red wine and popcorn, are you?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, clipping on her other earring. "Don't push it," she said as she headed toward the stairs and he followed closely behind. "I'll make you breakfast, but I expect dinner in return."

"Deal," he smirked, finding it hard to push the incident from a few minutes ago to the back of his mind. How could he, when all he wanted was to touch her and to hold her until the rest of the world faded away?

 **A/N:**

 **Hope your enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I really love writing this build up that' s leading up to the sweet surrender. Olitz falling in love is my favorite thing to write, so I hope you're not wanting it to be over too soon.**

My next update will be either this fic or _Whatever Happens._


	6. The Big Surprise

**A/N:**

So I started writing this fic over the summer in a binge writing craze thinking that it would save me time to write all 10 chapters at once. First time I ever do this with any one of my stories. I was just trying to get around the massive amount of editing I need to do in order to produce something fairly decent. Well, it actually turned out to be more work than I thought, LOL. The two versions are so different, same story, but the first one kinda sucks. Needless to say, I'm SO happy I waited instead of posting chapter after chapter in a frenzy like I've done with all new stories. Waiting allowed me to get all the binge writing out of my system first so I could focus on fully developing each chapter. It's MORE work than if I had written and posted them one at a time., haha, but at least I have thoroughly enjoyed the process. Anyhow, at this point it looks as though there will be another three chapters before the final one. If you have enjoyed this fic, kindly let me know at the end.

IMPORTANT: **In this story, Fitz NEVER EVER looks at another woman. He only has eyes for Olivia and this the same for all my stories. It also happens to be the main reason I write for Olitz and not just because I don't want to get any hate mail. Btw, those who still question Fitz's character/ and or devotion to Olivia in this story, there's not much more I can say except that his relationship with Tiffany was in the past, BEFORE he had romantic feelings for her.  
**

This chapter picks up where the last one left off.

* * *

Chapter Six: The Big Surprise

Later that morning.

Fitz furrowed his brow as he stared down at the documents in front of him. Today had turned to shit fast. Somehow the three projects he was campaigning for had all fallen behind on their deadlines. Now he had to juggle the schedules and find a way to ensure that they didn't fall further behind and end up upsetting his clients. He sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He leaned back further and stared up at his ceiling as his mind once more wandered to this morning's events.

His body was heating at the memory of her soft skin. He had only meant to tease her and his lips had slipped too close. It wasn't like he was coming on to her, there was no way he would do that so carelessly. There was no way he would jeopardize his friendship with Olivia which to him was more precious than anything; if there was any chance that something would go wrong and she could not reciprocate his love, he would hate to lose the strength of their original friendship. Still, that didn't mean that all was lost. He still had a shot at her, didn't he?

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. He thought of ways he could woo her without coming on too strong, little by little until she admitted she felt the same as him, not knowing that he had already succeeded without attempting to do so. The scene from this morning replayed in his mind and made him smile like a teenager as he pushed aside his work aside and picked up the phone on his desk to make dinner reservations at one of her favorite restaurants: The JRDN in pacific beach, San Diego, The last time they'd been there together was three years ago when they'd celebrated her twenty fifth birthday. At the time, they'd thoroughly enjoyed their evening together watching the dramatic sunset for which Pacific beach is famous. The ambience of the restaurant was classy but casual, cozy and appealing.

 _I got a surprise for you,_ he texted her, his face brightening up in anticipation. He couldn't wait for her to see what he had planned.

 _It better be a good surprise,_ she texted back.

Fitz texted: _?_

He blinked twice as he read her reply. _I'm a_ _busy bee._

 _"Ok,"_ he texted. _Any guesses? Take your time. **  
**_

He waited for her reply and when none came, he forced his mind to focus back on the mountain of paperwork piled up on his desk.

But then, her text came in most unexpectedly and his heart skipped a beat. _Give me a hint._

He thought about it for a moment. _It's an acronym you will love._

 _What kind of a hint is that?_

He chuckled at that. He really couldn't give her any more 'hints' or else risking giving it all away. _Think of acronyms you love,_ he typed.

 _You're awfully mysterious…am I going to like this surprise?_

His reply was deliberately short, _"I hope so,_ he wanted her to build up the anticipation in her mind and keep her guessing because if she was guessing she was thinking about him. And even though everything about their whole interaction was rather flirty, he wasn't purposely trying anything sexual. More than anything he wanted to be in her mind very much like she was in his, and he was really looking forward to them being together tonight; just thinking about the look on her face later tonight made him feel so alive and so on top of the world.

Olivia's smile widened as she went through her day's normal routine at her little consignment shop (things were better now that the threats of foreclosure were behind her). She was really enjoying this, whatever it was that was going on between them. Perhaps the greatest appeal of it all was the anticipation of enjoying each other's company at the end of her work day. And she couldn't help but think back on the events of earlier this morning with a mix of excitement at the mere thought of his closeness, of his sensuous lips at the base of her neck, and dread at the possibility of giving herself away and having to suffer the indignity of unrequited love. Darn it, she needed to be more careful, there was no telling what might happen next, now that there was this added intimacy of them living together under the same roof while pretending to be married and madly in love with each other.

She was still in the midst of her reverie when a couple of clients appeared at her shop and Olivia was forced to put the matter to the back of her mind yet she couldn't stop smiling for the next couple of hours. She loved the mystery of it all, the anticipation, and the best part of all was that no matter what it was she was sure she was going to love it.

* * *

xxx

There was something fishy going on. Jonathan had sensed it the minute he' d approached Fitz and Olivia at the party. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. It wasn't a mere coincidence that Fitzgerald the II as CEO of Grant Enterprises was opening the position of vice-president to the person best qualified to take the reigns as a way to ease into retirement. By the same token, it was no secret that Jerry was displeased with Fitz and his happy go lucky lifestyle. It was a no brainer; obviously Fitz had panicked when his old man opened the position and then, what d'ya know? Three days later, Fitz had shown up with his bride in an attempt to prove he was the best man! What a joke, as if settling down could prove he was capable of the responsibility of becoming head of the Grant Empire.

Right now, he and Fitz were tied neck to neck in equally subordinate positions; they served as executive vice president and senior vice president respectively. But that was going to change soon. In six months tops, the old man would make his final decision. As a result, Jonathan put his best foot forward and worked extra hard at making sure he stayed late every night at the office and offered to take over extra responsibilities at every chance he got.

This morning he'd sprung out of bed with a new resolution. He was going to find out what Fitz was up to. As for Olivia, he'd figured that she was after the Grant fortune; after all everyone knew that her _prima donna_ status had taken a tumble when her father had lost his wretched soul in the gambling casinos.

And then it suddenly hit him like a thousand bricks, and he plopped back down on the edge of the bed, his head pounding from the worst hangover of his life—or so it seemed.

He shook his head and blinked several times hoping the action would clear the fog from his mind. He thought he saw a female form standing in the doorway clad in HIS favorite jersey, but that couldn't be right, he lived alone—by choice.

"Tiffany?" He mumbled idiotically. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "Where's the maid? I need some coffee."

Jonathan shook his head again. He remembered going to a bar with Tiffany right after the party but not much after that. "We…huh… we slept together?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes again and Jonathan felt so sick he sprinted to the bathroom and vomited. She turned away in disgust.

He found her fifteen minutes later in his kitchen with a diet coke in her hand. "You live here alone… no housekeeper… nothing?" she pointed out reproachfully.

Jonathan, clad in his regular work attire, moved about like an automaton. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a box of special K, drowned it in non-fat milk and sat at the table. Tiffany helped herself to some cereal and sat down across from him.

"I gotta go to work."

"Yeah, whatever," she shrugged like teenager. "You look like shit. Hope you do what you promised last night."

Jonathan coked his head thinking hard.

"We both want the same things. Break up your cousin's shotgun marriage and promote the merger."

Jonathan felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. Even though he did want his uncle Jerry to choose him over Fitz , he wasn't quite sure if this was the start of some serious backstabbing and double crossing. What if last night he'd slept with the darn woman? Did that mean he had to do her bidding from now on? He needed to be careful here and right now he wasn't sure where he stood.

"Hello? Do I need to spell it out for you?"

He wanted to say, _excuse me, but you're a selfish, slutty bimbo cow._ Instead, he said, "and how are we gonna do just that?"

"I show up at the office, Fitz won't be able to resist me."

Jonathan made a small huffing sound that might be construed as amusement.

Tiffany sneered, " are you gonna help me or not?

* * *

Xxx

The glass walls around Big Jerry's office were six inches thick and afforded the breathtaking view of the ocean and surfers paradise along Newport Beach.

Most reluctantly, Fitz shifted his attention from the world famous marina to his cousin.

"According to one of my sources, Hollis Doyle is ready to move in on the merger."

Big Jerry and Fitz exchanged a look as Jonathan delivered his sales pitch. They both wondered what had re-kindled this renewed interest in the merger.

Big Jerry nodded, visibly amused. Funny how earlier this morning he'd mentioned something about the merger to his wife and now the subject was coming up again under different circumstances. Maybe it was destiny calling? He couldn't help feeling weird about the whole thing. Four years ago Doyle had pulled out of negotiations for the merger when Fitz broke off his engagement to Tiffany, Doyle's only daughter- the apple of his eye. At the time, he'd felt it was not right to mix apples and oranges; the merger and the broken engagement were two different issues altogether.

Jonathan continued to speak over fitz's protests, "I can't think of a better way to shoot down the competition."

"Must you always be so thick headed?" Fitz questioned. "Doyle needs us more than we need him. Besides, where is this source of yours?"

"Boys, boys," Big Jerry said slightly condescending. "Please. Let's table this discussion until we have confirmation from Doyle himself?" He knew the man was unscrupulous but he wasn't worried, he knew he could handle him without getting burned. The question was would his successor? His gaze shifted between his nephew and his son; the answer to the question was as clear as a bell.

Fitz and Jonathan sized each other up in anger and Big Jerry couldn't help but compare them. Jonathan reminded him so much of himself when he was younger, and Fitz was just the spitting image of his own brother Louis. It was almost as if the two boys had been switched at birth. If he didn't know any better he might have been tempted to believe it, but there was no way Leila would have cheated on him with his own brother…the idea was simply preposterous.

Jonathan made a show of looking at his watch and appearing flustered, "I would love to stay and chat but I got a teleconference scheduled in two minutes."

Big Jerry nodded knowingly and then went around to sit behind his desk. He then straightened some papers with a thoughtful motion and then grinned up at Fitz as though he was seeing him for the first time in years. He then motioned for him to take a seat.

"So how does it feel being a married man, son?"

Fitz eased onto the edge of his seat as though he didn't expect to be sitting there long. "Different, I guess…"

"What is she doing right now? Keeping the love nest warm until you come home?"

"Well, that's no way to start your life as newlyweds…"

Fitz stared at his father, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Don't give me that look, son." The old man laughed heartedly. "It's nothing bad…I was just thinking that you two lovebirds need to get away on a honeymoon, my boy." He laughed again pleased with himself.

"Oh, I don't know if I can just take time off like that, this is our busiest time of the year."

"I know that son. Still, it's not every day that one gets married." Big Jerry leaned back in his chair, amused by the perplexed look in his son's facial expression.

"We just signed up the Stewart account…"

Big Jerry waved off that concern, "Don't worry about it, take the week off. Jonathan will handle it until you get back."

Fitz hesitated. He really wanted to take the time off; yet at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a test of some kind. Is he supposed to say he doesn't need the time off and prove to his father that he's willing to make sacrifices for the company's sake just like Jonathan -his surrogate son- would do?

What if on the other hand, the real test had more to do with testing his commitment and willingness to put his marriage first?

Nah. Somehow, he suspected that it was his commitment to the Grant Enterprises that his father was putting to the test.

Big Jerry stared at his son long and hard. "So, enjoy your trip, son," he grinned flashing his pearly white teeth and taping his papers on his shiny mahogany desk. "My only advice is that it doesn't really matter where you go on your honeymoon as long as you make sure you always defer to your lovely bride when choosing your destination."

* * *

xxx

During his lunch hour, Fitz opened up Skype and set up his laptop on a tall wooden box so that the camera was at eye level. He smiled as Olivia's face filled the screen.

"Hey, I got another surprise for you," he announced with a grin.

He watched her put on her headphones. "No acronyms this time?" She asked taking care not to appear too eager.

"This one has no acronyms," he confirmed, and then quickly changed the subject, " listen, I can't remember...do you still get carsick..." he paused, "seasick?" Short pause, "airsick?"

Olivia half smirked, "is this like a multiple choice test question?

"Can you please just answer the question?"

"Why?"

"I asked first."

Olivia huffed playfully. "Sometimes I guess. Last time I traveled by plane I was fine." She waited for him to continue and it was clear that he was taking his time, she added, "Okay...your turn."

A slow smiled played about his lips, "I was thinking of taking you on a cruise for our honeymoon."

Olivia tried to hide her nervousness with a soft chuckle.

"I thought you'd be pleased," he replied with mock disappointment."You break my heart."

"You mean to say this is NOT a fake honeymoon we're talking about here?"

Even though Fitz was amused by her reply, he did his best to keep a straight face. "This time is the real thing."

She pursed her lips in a way that made him want to kiss her. "Okay.."

"My father is giving me a week off work as a wedding present...specifically so we can take a 'proper' honeymoon. Probably mom's idea."

Naturally, she tried to downplay her delight, but a smile took over nonetheless, "Seriously? when?"

"Whenever we want," he smirked back, "Well, actually, we'll have to wait a few days." His expression changed and became serious, "I have to time it just right. Take my work with us so to speak...otherwise Jonathan wins brownie points."

She nodded, "of course... it will still be nice to get away," she paused. "Oh, wait...what about the shop?"

"Start looking for someone...maybe Quinn can help you out?"

Olivia bit her lip, the wheels in her head turning. She was excited about the trip, just the planning of it and anticipating it was going to be great. "I'm sure we can work something out," she agreed, smiling.

Fitz was excited too. The idea of going away with Olivia, just the two of them was simply delightful. He swiveled in his seat quite pleased and thinking about his OTHER surprise (dinner at JRDN)

"Livvie, what time will you be home tonight?"

She responded with a subtle smile, loving the intimacy of his tone. "I should be home a little after six."

Fitz looked at the clock at the bottom of the screen. The timing was just right. If he got back to work and made good use of his time, he should make it back home before six. "Great, see you then," he concluded beaming. For the first time ever he was anticipating coming home to his once-upon- a- time bachelor pad.

They exchanged a warm look filled with hidden meanings and stirrings.

She was the first one to look away, certain that he could see her feelings of longing written all over her face. "Oh, my goodness, look a the time, gotta go back to work."

"Work, work, work," he lamented.

"Fitz?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't forget dinner."

"Dinner?" He repeated. He panicked. Did she somehow figured out his plan?

"It's your turn," she reminded him referring to their conversation this morning that she would fix breakfast as long as he provided dinner; meaning that she was expecting him to cook.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." He nodded smiling. Oh, yes, he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she discovered what he had in mind for tonight.

xxx

Hours later.

Fitz gave the final documents to his secretary so she could email them out to the different sales teams and those on staff for the marketing campaigns of their newest launch. He was happy that he had managed to push through and finish earlier than he thought. He was so looking forward to surprising Liv with his dinner plans. This morning when she said dinner was on him, she'd never said it had to be homemade, he smiled to himself, grabbing his coat and briefcase. He promptly walked out of his office, waving goodbye to those still lingering on his floor.

As he waited for the elevator in the hallway he pulled out his cellphone and sent a quick text to Liv to see where she was, after all, he was running a little late. He glanced at his watch. 6:15pm. He wasn't too surprised that she was still working at the shop.

"Hey, cousin! Checking out early? That's a rare thing for you," he said sarcastically. Anybody that wanted to be somebody at Grant Enterprises didn't leave the office before 7:00 pm.

Fitz turned at the voice calling to him and saw a few guys from the sales department hanging around Jonathan who put on a smile and lifted his hand in greeting.

"This may come to you as a shocker, but life is not all work and no play," he said to Jonathan aware that everyone nearby was listening to this conversation.

"Of course not. Besides, you have a lovely new bride waiting for you now," Jonathan said with a smirk and the other guys around him made noises of disbelief.

"Wait so those rumors circling the office were true! You really did go and get yourself married out of the blue!?" one of the men said and Fitz shrugged.

"I wouldn't call it out of the blue, but I am definitely married to a wonderful woman." He answered and they stared at him like he was insane. But before they could question him further the elevator arrived and he held his hand up in farewell.

"Speaking of said woman, tonight, we got a dinner date. I'll see you guys around." He said and stepped in, pushing for the parking level and waving until the doors closed on their incredulous faces. At the very last moment, he caught a strange gleam in Jonathan's blue eyes that didn't settle well in his mind. It wouldn't be long before Jonathan came up with a new way to trip Fitz in the race for the company. He shook his head and relaxed into his usual easy attitude, certain that nothing the man did could be a real threat. Loser, he thought.

The elevator doors instantly parted again on the second floor and much to his disbelief; Tiffany casually stepped inside wearing the brightest of smiles. Shockingly, she started jabbing the CLOSE button until the doors whispered shut.

"What the heck you doing?" Fitz shouted as he moved to prevent her from reaching over once again and pressing the big RED emergency button.

 **A/N:**  
Merry Christmas and happy new year!

This holiday season, take a moment to comment on EVERY fic you read. You never know, for one reason or another, that may be the last chapter posted and your comment may be all the encouragement needed. There are so many wonderful Olitz stories out there,. I wish I could read them all. If you haven't already, read _And What's Has It Gotten Me?_ By Reader575, a wonderful thought provoking story.


	7. The Storm

Chapter 7: The Storm

Next thing he knew, Fitz found himself in a ridiculous dance; his body too close for comfort as he tried to prevent Tiffany from pressing the red button. And then it was too late. The elevator stopped moving.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"Fitz my darling," she turned around and catching him off guard, she lounged forward and pressed her lips to his. His immediate response was to push her away and glare at her disgustedly.

"Are you crazy?" He hissed taking a few steps back in shock, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

 **"** Why, Fitzsy, you say the sweetest things," she moved forward aggressively invading his personal space once again.

In one seamless movement, Fitz pushed Tiffany out of his way to gain access to the elevator control panel. He then pushed the button to the main lobby and then unbelievingly she flings her arms and tried to hug him. He turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders in anger and shook her.

"Stop it! Have you gone insane?"

She lets out a mocking little laugh, "playing hard to get, darling?"

Right then, the elevator doors opened to a group of bystanders waiting in the lobby.

At once, Fitz stormed out of the elevator, and turned to face the fatal attraction psycho that made Glenn close look like a model citizen. "Bitch," he muttered under his breath as people brushed past him to get inside and in the next instant she was gone. He wished he' d said something to her, something that would make it absolutely clear it was over between them. Just in case. He shook his head, bewildered. This dynamic was new and had caught him completely by surprise. He' d always been the one pursing her, never the other way around. He considered going after her but that might encourage her further. And then, the more he thought about it, the more clear it became that this was not an isolated incident. It was connected to something. The merger. Tiffany was here to pave the way and he needed time to come up with a strategy to stop Hollis Doyle from getting the deal of a lifetime.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jonathan weaseled his way into the security room at Grant Enterprises, slipping a hundred dollar bill to the security guard and then asked him to take a break. With a sinister smile, he removed the surveillance camera tape captured on a CD and took it to his office. Once there, he doctored the images captured on a CD-rom to make them look as though Fitz and Tiffany had been kissing in the elevator.

* * *

Half an hour later, Fitz had put the ugly incident with Tiffany out of his mind, determined not to let it ruin his evening. He was now sitting at home in his favorite armchair waiting for Olivia to finish whatever it is women do before going out. She'd been sort of surprised that he was taking her out to dinner which he found amusing.

"Come on sweetheart. I'm starving." He said sporting his usual grin and she pouted, and went to finish getting ready. He waited patiently, checking on their reservation and informing the restaurant that they would be arriving in the next hour and a half.

He settled deeper into his couch and closed his eyes. It was always nice when he got those rare moments to just relax and not have to worry about getting enough sleep to function at work the next day. He heard the clicking of her heels softly clicking against the hardwood and peeked one eye open. He swallowed as his eyes widened instinctively and his chest throbbed for a brief second.

Naturally, she stood before him and he stared back at her rather idiotically.

But why? He remembered the dress she had worn to the party and it was more revealing than what she was wearing now. And yet...standing there in a simple black cocktail dress, metallic lightweight wrap and open toe stilettos, she looked amazing. She looked so beautiful...What the hell was wrong with his brain? All he could think about was how much he wanted her. He shook the feelings away and gave her his usual smile as he stood from the couch.

"Ready?" He asked and cleared his throat when he heard how rough his voice sounded as though he'd been running hard. and she nodded with a bright smile that sent a strange quiver through his stomach. Maybe he was catching a cold, he thought, it would certainly explain the odd way his body was behaving today.

"When I said you had to take care of dinner I was thinking of a meal at home." She laughed, drawing him from his musings and back into his usual behavior. He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her to his vehicle as he answered.

"We both know that I'm a horrible cook so don't pretend you weren't expecting this." He quipped.

She laughed and he shook his head, thoroughly enjoying the sound of her laugh.

"You aren't a bad cook. You just have a limited number of dishes you can manage." She defended him and he chuckled, clearly amused.

"So that means as my new wife you'll take over the meal plans right?" He laughed when she rolled her eyes while sliding into the passenger seat.

"We'll see. It's not like I would be expecting you home for dinner half the time." The second part she said when he had slid into the driver seat and started the car.

He smirked over at her, "what if I surprise you…and plan on being home for dinner every night?"

"Then, I'll ask Maria to fix our meals so we can eat together," she turned to him with a dazzling smile. She was thinking of asking her to become their live-in housekeeper. She knew that Fitz liked housekeeping to work by the hour but things were going to be different now that she was the lady of the house. "And yes, that means that I will also be planning on leaving the shop early for dinner."

"Sounds perfect to me," he said, hands on the steering wheel.

"With any luck, neither one of us will die of boredom."

"I'm never bored when I'm with you, Livvie," he said sincerely.

"And I'm never bored when I'm with you, either," she said matching his tone.

Her next words made him grip the steering wheel tighter,

"Looks like we're a perfect match, husband."

The way she said 'husband' was so teasing, but it affected him in a different way. He laughed to cover up the odd reaction his body had to what she said. He felt hot and cold chills he couldn't quite explain. He really was coming down with something, because only a fever would make him this idiotic.

* * *

Later at the restaurant

Olivia and Fitz were seated across from each other at an intimate table at the famous Pacific Beach restaurant that offered a quiet ambience between casual and sophisticated. Olivia sat facing the wave wall of color-changing lighting which gave this particular section of the restaurant a theatrical effect.

Fitz wasn't into the wave wall as much as she was and was happy to sit with his back to it. He glanced around the dining room and just as he requested when he'd made the reservation, only couples seated nearby- no families, no singles. One man fed sporkfuls of his dessert to a woman seated close enough to kiss. Other couples whispered sweet nothings to one another other and found excuses to hold each other's hands.

Olivia stole a glance at Fitz and boy, did he look good. Even though his face was lost in the diffused lighting, she could see the clean line of his jaw, the soft glimmer of his blue eyes like ice in the dim light. He was beautiful. The hard planes of his body, the muscled perfection of his chest, the strength of his arms and his sharply chiseled angel face. And for tonight, she chose to believe he belonged to her.

"Thanks for taking me out to dinner," she noted with genuine appreciation, after the waiter had taken their orders. For starters, they both ordered beer battered fish tacos, soup and salad. "I've wanting to come back here since forever…"

Of course he knew she loved this place. Last time they were here on her birthday, they'd had the best time making up meanings for the acronym JRDN after which the restaurant had been named. They'd laughed and joked and ended up getting into a fun discussion about astrological signs and their meanings.

"Well, what else could I do?" He shrugged and then winked. "The guys at the office needed to get home to their wives and kids."

"Maybe you need new friends…"

"Or I just need the kids…since I already got the wife," he joked.

Something inside her was dying to push the boundaries even further, "Let's get at it then!" She said with a straight face trying to sound worldly despite her dry mouth and clammy palms.

He was surprised at how his heart skipped a beat at the mere suggestion. They stared at each other for the longest time, her words hanging in the air, both stunned by what was happening. Surely, they'd just crossed a line this time; their light banter had turned openly flirtatious.

And she surprised him even further when she added, "can you imagine us trying to raise a child? As if life wasn't hard as it is already…can you imagine a mini-you running around?"

His sharp snort could have been mistaken for a chuckle. "Like you're a picnic," he fired back playfully. "It' ll have to be a boy, though. I don't think I could handle two divas in the house."

"Don't think I'd forgotten what you were like as a kid," she threw in with a smile. "You were the biggest crybaby pansy on the playground."

Fitz held a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "Hey, I had a summer birthday and I was smaller than everyone else," He argued. "But in case you don't recall, I outgrew everyone by junior high."

"I remember," Olivia mumbled. That's when her crush on him had begun. She'd be watching him from a far at get-togethers while she was still in 4th grade.

"We'd make a gorgeous baby, though," he teased, stepping way out of THEIR comfort zone.

That remark wiped the smirk right off her face. A reply wasn't even in order. We would've, and that might have been her dream as a school girl—but it wasn't written in the stars for them…not now anyways.

LATER  
"I was only kidding about the diva stuff," he smiled at her as they exited the restaurant, happily linking arms, "you're only mildly annoying."

"Well, I tell you…you're more than mildly annoying," she bantered back. "You better hope that someone sweeps me off my feet rather soon…or else you will be stuck with me."

"That wouldn't be so bad…at least you know what you're getting into, and you wouldn't have to worry about getting calls back when you go out on dates. I will always call you back."

"Ha ha," she murmured, "well, that's one thing to be said for being off the market…"

They both chuckled at that. Fitz opened the door to the passenger seat of his black Ferrari and Olivia climbed inside. He started the engine and turned to look at her and she met his gaze and time seemed to stand still. For instant there she thought he might kiss her. But then, he turned, both hands back at the steering wheel.

"Ready to go home?" He asked staring straight ahead. He heard the rumbling of thunder overhead and looked cautiously at the sky which roiled with black and purple clouds. They'd better get on the road; they had a ninety minute drive home and he hoped to make good time before the storm.

Once they got back to the penthouse, Olivia marched upstairs with Fitz following closely behind. They were discussing a movie they both loved and somehow it was just the most natural thing in the world for them to continue their conversation even as Olivia went into the master closet and slipped off her heels and nearly lost her footing. His quick hands and strong arms quickly righted her.

They looked into each other's eyes and in that moment they both wanted to say something, something more than just idle banter.

He lowered his head and his hand pressed against the door frame for support . "Livvie," he murmured before his mouth lowered over hers. It stayed there tantalizing and she held her breath. His mouth moved over hers, his tongue darting out to tease until she opened for him. Her mouth moved hesitantly beneath his as if unsure to move forward. He'd have to woo her carefully, then, letting her warm up to his touch by degrees. He increased the intensity of his kiss by incremental steps.

His hand remained firmly affixed to the wide door frame as he resisted the urge to take her into his arms. He knew she would bolt if he let loose with the full torrent of his need. But she tasted so darn sweet that he could not muffle the groan that escaped from within him. He let his tongue trace the seam of her lips, probing, seeking entry but not demanding. Her mouth suddenly surrendered to the fullest and raw desire snaked through him.

He'd never been so taken by a woman; he'd grown hard with the barest of contact. Some small thread of sense kept him from wrapping his arms around her petite body. She swayed against him and the light touch of her breasts again his chest inflamed him. She kissed him deeply her tongue exploring his mouth, the memory of their first kiss fueling her advances.

 _She remembered how it felt when their mouths came together as they sat together on the couch. She knew he'd had too much to drink but it didn't matter. "Livvie, it's prom night, let's have a little fun." Her open mouth told him how much she wanted him, how intoxicated she was in the fresh scent of his skin and his warmth. Of all the things that had happened to her that day, this was the most glorious, the most unexpected. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. His kiss took her on a shower of sparks that dazzled her. Except that Olivia felt that something was a little wrong. He wasn't kissing her back quite so eagerly. He pulled away and gave her a dazed look._

Suddenly, a high-pitched sound coming from her cell phone intruded rudely upon them.

 _"you're the best, he'd told her before he passed out on the couch._

For a brief moment, the shine in her eyes revealed how much further had she been willing to go if they had not been interrupted.

"Hold on," she murmured as she reached for her clutch purse and pulled out her Blackberry, "darn flash-flood warning," She murmured as she turned off the blasting notification. Normally, she would have put the phone away but something made her take a second look and click the email icon. Normally, she didn't check her business e-mail this late but before her brain had decided what to do, her fingers had clicked open a message with a question mark in the title line even though she didn't recognize the address. Against her better judgment she opened the attachment titled Fitz and Tiffany.

So that was it, he watched her go from weak in the knees to nothing happened here mode. This couldn't be it. She couldn't just turn it off like that, could she? She couldn't have _not_ felt what he felt?

And then something in her face registered as an alarm as she came face to face with the doctored elevator footage. Olivia's stomach clenched and her jaw dropped when she saw Tiffany step onto the elevator and then a short kissing scene showing today's date on the bottom of the screen.

 **A/N:**

I really enjoyed writing Olitz in this chapter. I know, this chapter is short but I can't go any further until I make a decision as to what I want to do with this story. Like I said before, I got the the first version beginning to the end already pre-written. However, if you want me to continue past the time when they get together, **send me your ideas of what you want to see or what you think will happen, I will consider them all as I DON'T have anything else planned for this fic. In other words, I got nothing, nada in the works.  
**

My muse is looking for something exciting to write, something new and different from my other stories. That something doesn't have to be new story, it could be this fic, part two

 **I will continue this story if I can come up with a GREAT plot (one I can't wait to write AND you can't wait to read), otherwise it will end in another two or three chapters. Send me your ideas and comments, big or small. They all count, the best ideas usually come from you guys. One idea usually leads to the next and so on. Thanks for your support for this story so far.**


	8. We Fooled the Paparazzi

**A/N:**

So sorry for the late update, you guys continue to blow me away with your support for this story. Anyhow, I needed time to figure things out. I was overwhelmed, divided this chapter into two, and that's how I was finally able to finish it. On a side note, I have started writing for another fandom but I will not abandon my Olitz stories.

NOTE: this chapter picks up where the previous one left off, Fitz and Olivia are in her walk-in closet when she gets a link to the doctored video. The flashback in this chapter happened a couple of days before the gala where Olivia was introduced as Fitz's wife. This was prior to Fitz becoming aware of his feelings for Olivia.

* * *

Chapter Eight

We Fooled the Paparazzi

Olivia glared up into his striking face, saw a cruelty in his eyes that wasn't there, and then did something she neither planned nor consciously decided to do.

She slapped him so hard that heat stung across his face. Bewildered, Fitz reached out to capture her flailing arms but she batted his hands away.

"How could you, Fitz? How could you?" she shook her finger at him, fighting back against the rage building up inside her. "Damn you, damn You lied to me!" The worst part was that it didn't make sense. "Why go through all the pretense of telling everyone we're married when you were just going to sleep around with her!"

 _Sleep around?_

Fitz's eyes widened and recoiled in shock at the accusations. It took his breath away to see her anger raging inside of her. "What are you talking about?" Her? Tiffany? Of course, somehow it had to be the incident earlier this evening which he had been quick to dismiss as inconsequential. His eyes fell on her mobile device still in her hand and then of course, it all made sense now. Tiffany had sent Olivia something. But what?

"What was in that you were watching? A video? Even though he'd heard no sound, he was certain Olivia had played a short clip of some sort. "Show me, Olivia," he demanded.

She shook her head and tightened her lips in response.

"Show me!" he yelled.

His voice startled her. She jumped back, her brown eyes still blazing. "Here," she handed him the phone as if she could suddenly not stand the sight of it.

Fitz blinked a few times in disbelief and as the video played showing the incident in the elevator. Except that everything was messed up, that's not how it happened! His jaw dropped further when he realized that the two people kissing in the video were clearly willing participants. It was like watching a clone of himself playing a part in a foreign film. "That's? What-the?"

"You couldn't resist her, could you? She huffed, recalling all his promises at the party assuring her that it was over between him and Tiffany. "It was never over, was it? You've never been over her! I thought you had changed, but she still has you wrapped around her finger… hook, line and sinker! It's so pathetic, really. When are you gonna stop lusting after that bitch? But you know what, I don't care. I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. It's late, I'm going to bed," She turned around and starts rummaging through the drawers. She started pulling out piece after piece of satin lingerie and discarding them on the floor. She was exhausted and only wanted a pair of soft flannel pajamas to snuggle into. But there wasn't anything in those drawers even remotely like it. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She spat, turning to face him, her face a question mark.

"What the heck you're looking for?" He groaned in exasperation.

"Pajamas, nightgown, anything," she went out to search the other drawers, making a giant mess. But she didn't care, the frenzied activity was a release for her anger and frustrations. Fitz tried to come closer but she glared back. "Bite me, Fitzgerald Grant! I really couldn't care less what you do. Get drunk with your buddies all night, fuck every woman you want, including her…whatever. I don't care, it doesn't matter. This is nothing but a fake marriage, a charade. "

"I wear to God, I never touched her." He ran his hand through his hair, as he tried connecting the dots. "Liv, you gotta believe me. It was a set up. She came on to me on the elevator and I pushed her away," he shook his head, bewildered.

"You kissed her! How can you say you didn't?"

"I didn't kiss her. She kissed me."

"And you kissed her back."

"No, I did not!" He groaned in exasperation. In the next moment, he crossed the distance between them, desperate for her to understand. What kind of bastard did she think he was? "This video was set up so that it would look like I was kissing her, but I didn't kiss her, Goddammit! You got to believe me," he reached out to touch her arm but she pulled away. " I would never lie about something like this, Liv. You know me."

She shook her head and hid the hurt by turning away. She wanted to believe him...but she'd seen the kiss with her very own eyes! "I don't know, I don't know what to believe anymore."

In response, he stepped back as if she had physically slapped him again. "I'll be back. I'm going to prove to you this video was doctored," he assured her firmly.

"Fitz, Where are you going?"

"To see about setting the record straight," he said over his shoulder as he bolted out of the room. He hurried down the stairs and called his driver with a touch of a button on his mobile device.

"Where to sir?" The driver asked as they rode the elevator to the lobby.

"I don't know yet, just drive."

It was late at night, but he got hold of Huck, his IT guy. He explained the situation and the doctored tape, hoping Huck could get him something he could use against Tiffany. The more he thought about it, the more it had to be an inside job. Jonathan. It had to be Jonathan. To confirm this, he told the driver to drive to Grant Enterprises and viewed the visitor logs at the security station in the reception area. Just like he suspected, Tiffany had visited Jonathan in his office right after the incident in the elevator so they had to be in this together.

His first instinct was to go pounding on Jonathan's door and cuss him out but he needed to bide his time. He needed to think and play this smart. As he drove the streets of L.A, he tried to look at the situation from every angle. If Jonathan was now using Tiffany as a smokescreen so that he (Fitz that is) couldn't see what his other hand was doing.

When he got back home it was nearly three O' clock in the morning; he only had a couple of hours of sleep before he had to get up for work. Darn it. He wished he had more time to plan this out, but whereas before he merely wanted to stop the merger, it was now most imperative. Only a couple of hours left before the meeting where members of the board would vote for or against the merger.

Things were looking pretty desperate.

Until he remembered that he still had Olivia. Yes. As his bride, she was a shareholder to Grant Enterprises.

With a myriad of thoughts going through his mind, he went up stairs and briefly hesitated at Olivia's door wondering if she was still awake. He nearly knocked on her door but decided against it. He hoped that she would still be on his side and vote against the merger, in spite of the fact that she now thought the worst of him. He reminded himself that everything would be okay, Huck had a plan. He just needed to be patient.

Okay, yes, back to the merger. He had to go over the speech he'd prepared and memorize it. He went through the motions of getting ready for bed, his mind considering all the options. There was one card he still had not played. It was a last resort but he really believed desperate times required desperate measures. The more he thought about it, the more he came to believe that stopping the merger was akin to stopping Jonathan from becoming CEO of Grant Enterprises.

Meanwhile, Olivia had a hard time going to sleep. Again and again, she kept replaying the events of the last few days, Her mind wandered to day of her marriage to Fitz. She had married Fitzgerald Grant. The thought kept replaying itself in her mind, each time making her ask herself what on earth she'd been thinking when she agreed to this crazy plan. Or why she had so readily agreed.

FLASHBACK:

 _On her wedding day, Olivia Pope had sat barefooted at her dressing table wearing nothing but a white terry bathrobe having her nails done. Quinn had already given her a pedicure, and glancing at her reflection in the mirror, Olivia was relieved that there were no dark shadows under her eyes. Every bride wanted to look spectacular on her wedding day, never mind that this was to be a fake marriage._

 _Her black hair was tucked neatly into a chignon, and curly tendrils dangled from each side of her face. Quinn brought out of the closet a white business suit and a pair of Prada square toe pumps, hardly the proper attire for a wedding and Olivia had to remind herself for the fiftieth time, that this wedding was not a real one._

" _I think you're making a great mistake," Quinn had said that morning rather cryptically. "I hope he doesn't end up breaking your heart."_

 _Olivia had ignored Quinn's comment and left her father's house for the pent-house without a second glance._

 _That morning, Fitz sat at his desk at his home office going over the final paperwork. On top of the pile, there was a marriage certificate from the court which they both had to sign. He knew that time was running out, and he should have told her last night and not spring this on to her all of sudden. But he hadn't wanted to ruin the good mood and incite her temper by bringing up the fact that in addition to an exchange vows, she was going to need to sign a prenuptial agreement._

 _He was debating as to the best way to break the news to her when she poked her head through the door._

" _You look absolutely gorgeous."_

 _She smiled at that, taking the compliment easily as he pulled out a chair for her to sit._

 _"Fitz?" She stared at him expectantly. Earlier this morning he'd asked her to come in a little early as he needed to discuss something with her. He put forth his best smile to ease her, but it was never that easy with Olivia. She could read him better than anyone else and always called his bullshit._

 _The gleam in her eyes told him that he better not try to lie to her or he'd be in more trouble. He softly sighed and shook his head._

 _"Now Liv, I want you to take a deep breath." He whispered and her eyes widened for a split second before icing over the next._

 _"Anytime you say those words to me, it's always followed by something I don't_ _want to hear." She hissed, looking at him suspiciously._

 _"Fitz, what did you do?" She asked enunciating each word and he swallowed hard._

 _Darn it, this woman was probably the only person that actually_ _intimidated him. "Olivia...take a deep breath first." He insisted, but her eyes only narrowed further. He sighed and decided to just get it over with. "Okay. In a few minutes, our lawyer…the main attorney at Grant Enterprises will be here to get us to sign marriage papers and a pre-nup." There was a pause following his words and he waited for the explosion._

" _A prenup?"_

" _Right…I know what you're thinking…but you need to trust me here, Liv. It's only a piece of paper…"_

 _Olivia shook her head. Somehow, he always managed to convince her to take the next step with that irresistibly charming smile of his. Sort of reminded her of that time at the party when they were children and they played house. Except back then, it was her doing all the begging and the enticing…"oh, Fitz, please? You can be the groom and I the bride…"_

 _Funny how the white dress she'd been wearing back then easily pass as a wedding gown and his tuxedo were just perfect for a traditional wedding as though they had planned it out that way but it really just sort of happened that way. He'd been a little resistant at first, but in the end he had indulged her in her little fantasy…hadn't he? In any event, it was ironic how today, on their actual wedding day, their attire- business suit and her blazer and pencil skirt combo- seemed more like a business arrangement.  
_

" _This piece of paper should never come between us. Cyrus says that it makes everything easy and automatic when it's time to file divorce papers . He's aware of our situation, of course. "_

" _And….this pre-nup agreement is supposed to put me at ease?"_

 _He knew he was a selfish bastard doing this to her, even if one argued that he had paid off her loan, which is something he should have done in any event in the name of their friendship even if she hadn't agreed to this scheme._

" _Liv…I'm sorry, I should have told you…"_

 _"Fitz," she started, I was sort of expecting this… so it's not a huge shock. I'm still irritated though that you didn't trust me enough to be honest with me up front, but I don't see the point in arguing. I really don't care about your money and I don't want a single dime. "_ _She said passionately but with no trace of anger. "Call me crazy, but I'm in this with you for better or for worse," she added rising to her feet. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to powder my nose."_

 _Fitz stood up._ _"You are truly my angel Liv...Thank you for going along with this." He whispered, wrapping her in a warm hug. Her body instantly relaxed in his embrace._

 _She pulled back to look into his eyes, "Don't thank me yet. There's still a long way to go to getting you through this charade." She reminded him with a wink._

 _"True. But at least I have an ally on my side, one who has my back."_

 _A little while later, Cyrus Beene , the Grant's business litigation attorney arrived. Fitz ushered him into his home office and motioned for him to sit behind the desk. Then, he took a seat sit next to Olivia. Without further delay, the couple listened to him outline the terms of the pre-nuptial agreement. The man took the time to address their questions. Since in California a person who signs a pre-nup without a lawyer present could have the document be set aside by a court later on, Cyrus gave her a separate waiver she needed to sign verifying that she understood the terms and was voluntarily signing off her right to have it later dismissed by a court of law._

 _The pre-nup stated that in the event of a divorce, Olivia would not get any property or assets from the Grant estate. She was okay with that since she didn't want anything that didn't belong to her going into the marriage anyway._

 _"Olivia, this is just a formality." Fitz commented. "We both know we would never be in a dispute over money. But this waiver is needed when we do end our agreement. As my wife, you are now an equal shareholder of Grant Enterprises which would end when we do divorce."_

 _Olivia swallowed hard. Even though she knew their agreement to enter into a fake marriage had to end at once point, she felt weird listening to him speak about divorce as the natural outcome when they were just getting married._

" _This waiver just ensures that you're fully informed" Cyrus smiled a practiced smile. "Just sign right here," he said pointing to a yellow sticky note with and arrow pointing to a dotted line."_

 _Olivia nodded and took a few moments to read the waiver before signing it._

 _Cyrus then spoke the traditional vows. In preparation, the couple turned in their seats toward each other, their legs touching._

" _Olivia, do you take Fitz as your lawful wedded husband?"_

" _I do."_

" _Fitz, do you take Olivia as your lawful wedded wife?"_

" _I do."_

" _By joining hands, you are consenting to be bound together as husband and wife. "_

 _Fitz and Olivia continued to join hands, looking into each other's eyes._

" _By the authority vested in me by the laws of the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife."_

 _Olivia's heart thundered in her chest as soon as she heard the pronouncement of their new marital status. She really wasn't expecting such an emotional reaction and by the look on Fitz's face, she could sense he felt the same._

 _After that,_ _it was time to sign the actual marriage certificate. Fitz signed the certificate first and then passed his pen to Olivia for her to sign. All Cyrus had to do was affix his notary stamp and then file it with the court._

" _Congratulations," the sly attorney muttered, "you're now officially married."_

 _Cyrus left shortly after and they smiled awkwardly at each other and then Fitz reached for her hands. Her fingers slowly loosed and then stiffly settled against his hand. The simply gesture sent a fire of heat curling through him. He attributed to nerves at the realization that they were actually married for real even if they both knew it was a charade._

" _Okay, so here's how the game is to be played," he started. "Obviously we won't consummate the marriage just act like we have." He went on, his gaze dropping to her hands. "Whenever we are in public, we hold hands. It needs to become natural. "_

" _We'll need plenty of practice at home then." she ventured._

 _He nodded, smiling and she returned his smile, the awkwardness melting away._

" _We're only acting like lovers. That means no demands, no expectations between us unless we discuss it first, okay?"_

" _So what are we going to do the rest of the day, just hold hands all day?"_

" _If that's what it takes to make it seem natural. I know it's a little awkward but-_

" _I don't know about you, but I'm dying for a cup of coffee," she suddenly stood and headed for the kitchen. All this hand-holding was making her hands clammy. It was nerve-wracking!_

 _The kitchen was so spacious it was half the size of the condo she had called her home until days ago . It was pristine white and with black granite countertops._

 _Fitz followed her into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water while she continued to busy herself with the preparations. He watched her over the rim of his glass, thinking to himself he was liking this…huh, what shall we call it? Domesticity? Funny thing was that this was not a new thing, Olivia moving around his kitchen so efficiently (she knew where everything was) since she'd been here many times in the last two years on some weekends. But something was different now, and yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it._

 _In no time coffee was ready and she was bringing it to the table. It had two tablespoons of creamer and two sugars, just how he liked it._

 _He took a sip and sighed in appreciation. "Thank you, sweetheart." Somehow, she always knew when he was in the mood for hot coffee or the iced cappuccino variety._

" _So…tell me, how does it feel to be a married woman now"? He teased._

 _Olivia smiled her brightest of smiles. He was in a playful mood and she decided to play the part, "I can't believe we're finally married," she deadpanned. "It was a beautiful ceremony, and the best part is that we fooled the paparazzi," she added suppressing a chuckle._

" _I'm beyond ecstatic, "he smirked, "I can honestly say that I'm now married to my best friend. Sit tight, my love, cos' the fun is just starting."_

 _ **A/N:** _

Next chapter goes back to present time. It shouldn't take me long to get it out you since I got most of it written except for one scene. I'm shooting for within the next two weeks. I will announce it in the story description. You may have noticed I like to put announcements in the descriptions, been doing it for a while. It's my way of communicating with you all in between updates and especially with guest reviewers. Anyway, I don't want to leave you hanging for too long so if anything changes I will announce it there and give you a better idea of when exactly I will be posting it, Ok?

Right now Liv is mad, but don't shoot me just yet! You're really going to love the next chapter and will totally make up for this, promise ! Can't wait to unfold it for you!


	9. Put Your Hands in Mine

**A/N:**

I'm really liking how this story is turning out and I hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm here for this story even if I'm no longer reading blogs or watching Scandal. Please leave a review at the end as I don't assume that you're still reading.

 **I'm probably going to be using the lyrics of Stand by You for my chapter titles from now on just because I love this song to pieces. Also, my knowledge of the corporate world is limited so bear with me. As to the writing, ALL mistakes are MINE.** Anyway, it's late at night and I just got done writing this. Enjoy! **  
**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Put Your Empty Hands in Mine

 _Hands, put your empty hands in mine_  
 _And scars, show me all the scars you hide_  
 _And hey, if your wings are broken_  
 _Please take mine so yours can open too_  
 _'Cause I'm gonna stand by you_

 _-Stand By You by Rachel Platten-_

* * *

The next morning

"Tiffany, what are you doing here?"

"Jon, I thought you'd be glad to see me."

Jonathan adjusted his tie and tried a relaxed smile. The woman was a loose cannon and he had every reason to feel wary around her, especially after the stunt she'd pulled on him the other day. But he had to play his cards right in order to gain control of the situation.

"Now I think I deserve some recognition…the video turned out great," Jonathan closed the door behind him and pulled a chair for her to sit.

"What do you want, a medal or something?" Tiffany complained, ignoring his gesture. She helped herself to a cup of coffee and sat down behind his desk, leaning back leisurely. "The kiss was too short."

In response, he sat on the edge of his desk, facing her with a wicked grin. "Now, who's fault is that?" I think I did wonders considering Fitz was not a willing participant here—he nearly chuckled but managed to keep a straight face.

Tiffany took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. "Fitz loves me. He always has. He's just a little distracted right now by _that goldigger_. But that will change; he just needs to be reminded of what we had together."

"Really? And may I ask how you intend to do that?" He asked, his voice polite almost uninterested. He stole a glance at his watch and realized he only had five minutes before the board meeting.

Tiffany gave him a look that made him feel as though he'd asked a stupid question she couldn't even bother to answer.

He took a deep breath. What he had in mind was rather risky but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Listen, I only got a few more minutes. Board meeting for the merger is about to start. " He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I've been thinking… I have something… I have a proposition to make."

Tiffany looked supremely bored. "Okay. What is it?"

"Here's how it is. Dear old Uncle Jerry has been wanting Fitz to settle down and have a family since the dawn of time. Fitz married Olivia to make his old man happy. What do you think he wants now? What's the one thing that money can't buy?"

"Nothing. There's nothing money can't buy."

"Oh, c'mon, Tiffany. Humor me."

"What do I know? Just get to the point!"

"An heir. Money can't buy Jerry Grant an heir."

"Yeah, so you think you're the rightful heir, I got that."

"I'm only after what's rightfully mine. My father got cheated out of his rightful inheritance, you know that right?" He paused wanting some form of approval. Tiffany looked as if she could care less. "Anyway, what I mean is that Jerry Grant wants to make sure there is a grandchild before he kicks the bucket."

Tiffany lifted one brow. "Ok…what's your proposition?"

"Marry me, Tiffany."

Tiffany laughed a sparkling little laugh. "Wh-what? Marry you? Me? You and Me?" She tilted her head back in laughter. It was an empty tinkling sound that filled the air like a piano out of tune.

Jonathan grimaced. He certainly hadn't expected her to laugh. "This will be a marriage of convenience, of course. You do realize that, don't you?"

Every trace of laughter suddenly disappeared from her face. "Are you shitting me?"

"Nope." Jonathan was getting annoyed. This was taking too long; he was going to be late for the meeting but once the idea had formed in his head, he couldn't help himself. It was a half-baked plan at best, but also at the same time, he truly had nothing to lose and everything to gain. "Think about it. Can you imagine the look on Fitz's face when he realizes we're engaged?"

Tiffany smiled wickedly up at him.

"I gotta go, the meeting." He picked up his briefcase and headed for the door. He put his hand on the doorknob but did not turn it. "Just think about it, will you?" He asked looking at her through the corner of his eye.

* * *

xxx

Jonathan cursed under his breath; his little encounter with Tiffany had caused him to arrive at the board meeting a couple of minutes late. Much to his dismay, he found that Fitz had the floor. Not only that, but he also caught his uncle's disapproving glance as he realized that the only seat available was next to the loud humming of the air conditioner.

Fitz looked at Jonathan for half a second and continued his speech without missing a beat.

"In the business world, bigger is not always better, just ask Mc Donald's and their decision to get rid of their super-sized menu options back in 2004." Fitz made eye contact with every one in the room except for Jonathan. Some board members nodded their heads in appreciation. "And while there have been successful mergers in history, and yes, an example that comes to mind is the great success of ExxonMobil, these are an exception and not the rule. If we look at failed corporate, we can't help but conclude that as many as 70 to 90 percent of mergers will inevitably fail. Indeed, mergers are more likely to fail than marriages. But even such daunting prospects failed to deter big corporations from trying anyway."

At this point, Fitz distributed reports to all board members. "Let's take a look at what other corporations have done and see where other mergers have gone wrong. " He said, directing everyone to turn to a specific page. "Examples clearly abound. The merger of Quaker Oats Company and Snapple Beverage Company is my favorite example because its distribution problems are so similar to our proposed partnership with Doyle Energy. As you know, Quaker successfully expanded its horizons by entering the beverage field with the acquisition of Gatorade and later expected the same great results with Snapple. Except that there were major differences in the consumer base and in the distribution of Quaker products and Snapple. Indeed, such differences became more apparent when Quaker attempted to use mass production distribution efforts and distribute Snapple repackaged and to be sold at Costco and other major retailers. The problem was that Snapple's consumer base consisted of health conscious consumers who purchased their product at their local organic supermarkets, Subway and deli sandwich shops. This consumer base was not interested in seeing their favorite beverage paired with Gatorade or packaged for bulk purchases. Snapple sold best at convenience stores one bottle at a time. The end result was that Quaker's repackaging and distribution methods of Snapple robbed the beverage of its uniqueness and healthy image. Snapple was no longer the healthy, all natural alternative; instead, it became one of the many products on the shelf."

Shortly after Fitz's presentation was over, it was Jonathan's turn to speak. His speech was short and punctuated. Fitz smiled to himself. It was clear that most board members were listening politely but not fully agreeing with the speaker. And then, Jerry quickly motioned for a vote regarding the merger. At this point Cyrus came forward to request that the meeting be adjourned until tomorrow morning.

"May I ask why?" Jerry spat, frowning. This was highly unusual.

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief. He really enjoyed seeing the look on his father's face.

"On account of two board members missing." Cyrus paused staring at Jerry. "Both Olivia Grant and Leila Grant have made requests in writing to participate in the vote."

Jerry cocked his head and pursed his lips but said nothing. This was absolutely unbelievable! "Meeting adjourned," he mumbled rather reluctantly. Everyone promptly left the conference room except for Fitz and his father who were locked in a staring contest.

"You're really determined to stop this merger, aren't you son?" Jerry observed almost with pride.

"It's the best for the company." Fitz said sincerely. For the hundredth time, he wondered what kind of backroom deal Jerry had made with Doyle.

"Okay, tell you what, let's get together." Jerry nodded, his demeanor friendlier. "I want you and Olivia to meet us tonight for a dinner party."

"Sure thing," Fitz agreed, gathering his papers and getting ready to leave the room. "What time?"

"Seven."

"Okay," Fitz mumbled and headed for the door.

"Fitz?"

Fitz turned around.

"Jonathan will be there too." Jerry smiled mischievously, cocking his head. "He's bringing a date."

* * *

xxx

Fitz held the phone closer to his ear. "Liv. Listen to me. They played us both. Jonathan and Tiffany. And I have proof."

"Fitz " Olivia mumbled and then silence. She took a deep breath. She didn't want to see him or talk to him; even though most of her anger had faded away and all that was left was a sense of loss and betrayal. But did she even have the right to feel this way when she knew that this was all a charade?

"I'm coming to the shop after six and we'll go home together. "

Home. What a fool she'd been thinking his home was their home. She was going to her fake home with her fake husband. Fake. Fake. Fake! Everything was fake!

"Then we'll get ready to go to my parents' house. They're having a dinner party."

"Liv?"

"Okay, fine. Don't be late." She grumbled her response and ended the call.

LATER

Fitz arrived at her shop a little after six to find Olivia at the counter counting bills from her moneybag with such concentration, she could only give him a quick look and a nod as a way of a greeting.

Once she finished counting, she recorded the amount in a piece of paper and stuffed it in the sales receipts envelope.

She looked up when Fitz produced one of those old walkman tape players, set it on the counter and pushed play.

"Now I think I deserve some recognition…the video turned out great."

"What do you want, a medal or something? The kiss was too short."

"Now, who's fault is that? I think I did wonders considering Fitz was not a willing participant here."

"I have something… I have a proposition to make."

"Yeah, so you think you're the rightful heir, I got that."

"Marry Me, Tiffany."

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "How did you get this?"

"I have my sources."

She gave him that said, I'll- wait-till-you- tell –me.

"I have a guy. He goes by Huck. You'd be amazed at the things he can do. "

She shook her head again at the irony in the situation. Another marriage of convenience? And those two were an unlikely pair as any.

"Those two are a piece of work," Fitz stated echoing her thoughts. "I can't believe they had this conversation in Jonathan's office. I guess we got lucky as it could have happened elsewhere." He said, bringing her up to speed regarding everything concerning the merger, including how he'd managed to secure his mother's vote of confidence. "Even with her vote and yours, it's a coin toss, really."

"Fitz…I'm sorry I doubted you." Olivia said after a moment.

He pursed his lips and gave her a thin smile. "I would reacted the same way if I'd seen what you saw."

They stared at each other for a long moment; they were both remembering the kiss they shared last night kiss before they got interrupted and hell broke loose. Were they ready to explore that now?

She looked into his eyes and his face told the story of a love that defied all reason. In the next breath, she chewed her lip and looked away. She was afraid she was seeing things, what she wanted to see, what she hoped for.

Of course he loved her, they were friends, weren't they? And that was all there was to it.

With such thoughts circulating in her head, she lowered her gaze and snatched her purse from a shelf underneath the counter. "I nearly forgot I told dad I would see him after work. Can we stop for a few moments and say hi?"

"Of course," Fitz replied with a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

* * *

Later that evening.

Fitz feigned surprise to see Tiffany arriving at his parents' house as Jonathan's date. He and Olivia had arrived a little earlier and were gathered in the sitting room with Jerry and Leila.

Tiffany greeted Leila and Jerry with polite half-hug. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Tiffany, Jonathan," Fitz greeted them coolly, and Olivia followed suit with a nod of the head.

"Thank you all for coming," Jerry led everyone to the formal dining room.

Almost as soon as everyone was seated, the maid brought to the table shrimp and bacon; an award winning appetizer and a surefire combination guaranteed to steer the conversation to food and drinks.

Following the oohs and ahhs over the appetizers, the group was suddenly silent.

"Glad you could all make it tonight," Jerry said smiling, his gaze shifting around the table to finally settle on Fitz and Olivia. "Fitz, Olivia, How's married life treating you?"

"We're fantastic," Fitz quickly replied. His gaze shifted to his bride who was sitting on between himself and his father. He reached for her hand, resting his on her thigh.

Shock waves went up her leg, awakening nerve endings sleeping beneath her skin. She held his gaze, brown melting into blue. She saw need in his eyes, the same need that burned deep within her.

Leila watched her son and his bride, her chest swelling with pride. "Have you decided yet on a destination for your honeymoon?"

Olivia smiled at Leila and exchanged a glance with Fitz. They both felt it was her turn to say something. "We're torn between Jamaica, Australia or the Italian islands," she beamed looking at her in laws and then at Fitz.

"I vote for Venice." Leila candidly replied. "It's magical. Ah, there's no place like Venice for beautiful sunsets. You won't regret it, "she added the last sentence looking at Olivia.

"Yeah, right, isn't that where you went for your honeymoon?" Tiffany asked in a pinched tone that tried too hard to sound nice.

Leila's smile faded. "Yes, yes."

Tiffany opened her mouth to say something else but Fitz cut in. "I've gotta say though, it's not the place but who you're with that truly matters." he began, making eye contact with Olivia and his parents. "I truly feel like I'm the luckiest man alive. I know a lot of men claim that," he added with a small chuckle, "but they really have no idea. They don't have Olivia by their side, accepting them for who they are and keeping them grounded," he concluded, gallantly sweeping up her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Olivia nearly melted at the gesture and lowered her gaze as they continued to hold hands under the table.

"Sounds like you're the perfect match, then," Jonathan sported a sly smirk. "The perfect romance in any guy's book, getting the girl without having to wear a tuxedo," Jonathan and Tiffany shared a chuckle.

Fitz decided to ignore the last part of the man's comment and smiled, giving Olivia's hand a squeeze and looking into her eyes. "Well, cousin, you got that right, we're the perfect match indeed."

Jerry cleared his throat. "I say, it's about time we got to the main course," he said just as the maid brought a tray to the table with every one's order restaurant style. "And I must tell you boys, I'm proud of you both and I got to admit, I don't say that very often," he continued as everyone was served their meals. "Fitz, you really gave us food for thought with your presentation. I wonder what the board members-

"Boys, boys, please no more politics tonight," Leila cut in. "Tonight is about celebrating Fitz and Olivia in their union. And if I haven't said it before, I want to take the opportunity to say it now," she paused for effect. "Olivia, welcome to the family, my dear. I hope that you grow to see me as a friend. I'm always here, whatever you need."

Olivia smiled back, "Thank you, Leila. That's very sweet of you."

"Let us say Grace." Leila spoke again. Everyone bowed their heads. "Dear Lord, we thank you for bringing us together as a family and we ask you to bless this wonderful meal we're about to enjoy."

"Amen." Everyone echoed before digging into their plates. The conversation continued with Jerry managing to sneak in a few more comments about politics, completely ignoring his wife's wishes.

About half way through their meal, Tiffany asked to be excused to use the powder room. She'd been gone a while before Jonathan voiced his concern.

"I'll go check on her," Olivia gladly volunteered. This was her chance. As luck would have it, she intercepted Tiffany just as she was coming out of the the bathroom.

"There you are. So what did it feel like throwing yourself at Fitz like a common whore."

Tiffany's face went bright red. "Wh-what?"

"Did you feel cheapened? Disgusted at yourself even? Especially when he rejected you? Or maybe you still can't believe Fitz doesn't dance to your tune anymore?"

"You're a golddigger bitch," Tiffany shot back with untold venom in her words.

"That's enough! I don't give a damn what you think of me and I will make sure the world knows exactly who you are. " Olivia's command shocked Tiffany to the core. "Mark my words, I will watch you fail tonight. Tonight is the night you'll be exposed like the disgusting slithering snake that you are. You've humiliated me once too often and it will never happen again."

And with that, Olivia pushed past the woman and returned to the table beside Fitz.

For a moment, Olivia watched Tiffany lean in closer and murmur something in Jonathan's ear. _She knows something._ Jonathan stared at Tiffany in disbelief and bent over to murmur something back in the woman's ear. Even though Olivia couldn't make out his words, she could tell from where she was sitting that Jonathan's words were dismissive and that Tiffany wasn't happy with his response.

"Liv, you're absolutely gorgeous tonight," Fitz murmured, leaning closer drawing her attention back to himself.

Although he could tell she was a little tense, she accepted the compliment with a smile. Without breaking eye contact, he reached for her hand once again, resting it on his thigh. He was close enough for the muscles of his thigh to be pressed against hers but it was his hand that was keeping her sane. Her 'talk' with Tiffany had left her wired up and it was just sheer torture to continue to sit there and smile and listen to the small talk around the table. She could feel the tension in her body build up and shot a glance at Fitz.

There was desperation in that look, he thought. The waiting game was killing her. She needed him alright. Indeed, there was an edge of something darker; did she think he wasn't available for her?

There was no way he could think of anything or anybody but her. He was hers. One thousand percent. His hand gripped her more tightly, drawing her closer.

"I'm here. I'm here for you. We'll get through this together," he said quietly.

His hand was her anchor; warm and strong, it cradled hers and she began to feel she could continue to sit there and pretend that everything was cool. The tiny movements of his thumb as it stroked her palm were a constant message of reassurance. He might not be saying much, but he was there. Totally there. Totally focused on her needs and focused on soothing her.

"We have an announcement to make," Jonathan spoke proudly. He paused, his gaze shifting around the room to gain momentum. "Tiffany and I are engaged to be married."

Olivia and Fitz exchanged a look, thankful that at last the ball had started rolling.

Jerry Grant was quite pleased with the news and offered his most sincere congratulations although he did

"Congratulations," Leila smiled politely at the couple. But she was not good at hiding her feelings, and it showed. Her gaze quickly shifted to her son and his bride and was satisfied to see their interaction in that moment. A second later, she caught Olivia's gaze and the two women exchanged a smile.

"Thank you," Jonathan beamed. He hesitated for a moment and then taking care of appearing conscientious, he turned to Fitz with an almost apologetic expression. "I know that you and Tiffany were an item years ago, so I hope our engagement does not cause unnecessary strife in our relationship, cousin."

Fitz nearly laughed at the man's audacity. He knew his 'considerate' behavior toward him was just for show. "You need not worry, Jonathan. My relationship with Tiffany is a thing of the past. And I'm repeating myself here I know, " he turned to Olivia with a charming smile. "I'm now happily married to the most wonderful woman in the world, which makes me the luckiest man alive," he pecked Olivia's kissable lips with exquisite satisfaction.

In response, Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back soundly on the lips, reveling in her own boldness, in her pleasure at the touch of his lips on hers. Emotion burned in his chest and he kissed her deeply, thoroughly, ignoring the 'ahem' of the other people present as their kiss extended beyond his wildest expectations.

* * *

xxx **  
**

Shortly after dessert was served, Leila excused herself from the table, stating that she was feeling extremely tired but that everyone was welcomed to stay as long as they wanted.

"Don't worry, we understand," Olivia quickly replied.

"I'll walk you to your room," Jerry stood. "Everybody stay. I will be right back."

Jerry was gracious to his wife in front of everyone but as soon as they were both out of earshot, he turned to her with a malicious glare. "What's gotten into you lately, woman? " Leila stopped moving as they reached the top of the stairs that led to the bedrooms and turned to face him with a taciturn expression. "You're mighty proud of yourself, aren't you? Giving Fitz your shares." He mentally slapped himself. The bottom line was that he'd failed to see this coming: Fitz winding up with Leila's shares. All these years, he'd been able to count on his wife's shares; she had never gone against him.

"Jerry." She shook her head in disapproval. "When are you gonna stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Your pitting Fitz against Jonathan, this never ending competition. You of all people should know better. That's exactly what your father did. Don't you remember what it did to your brother?"

Jerry looked at his wife in frustration. A little competition never hurt anybody. His brother Robert had always been a sissy. He couldn't take the heat and became a worthless alcoholic.

"He became an alcoholic," Leila echoed his thoughts. "But it didn't have to be that way, did it?"

"Robert was weak. He sought refuge in a bottle; he didn't have what it takes. I tried to help him time and time again and he could never pull himself together. Heck, I even took his son under my wing. Luckily, Jonathan is nothing like his father, the boy has ambition," Jerry said proudly. "And in all fairness, Jonathan deserves a shot to run the company my father built from the ground up."

"You can tell yourself whatever you want….but you've run Grant Enterprises for the last twenty years and made it what it is today. Jonathan is not your son…Fitz is and what you're doing is wrong."

Jerry raised a brow, mildly amused. "And you tell yourself whatever you want. Coddling Fitz has produced nothing so I'm not doing it anymore. I'm done coddling him. If he wants Gran Enterprises to be his, he has to fight for it and…and frankly, may the best man win." He went on, proudly. "Don't look at me like that, Leila. This all sounds a lot like real life, if you ask me."

* * *

In the meantime, Fitz and Olivia confronted Jonathan and Tiffany with the tape.

The audacious pair looked at each other in shock.

"What do you want?" Jonathan spoke, gritting his teeth.

"Ah, glad you asked," Fitz said in a jovial tone that he knew would annoy his cousin. "It's very simple. We're not asking for much," he said wrapping an arm around Olivia's waist.

"The merger. It cannot pass," Olivia firmly stated.

Tiffany huffed, "Or what?" drawing closer to Jonathan.

"The tape will find its way to my father's desk first thing in the morning." Fitz said. His face lit up as he thought of something even better. "Or better still, it will certainly find its way at the meeting tomorrow morning."

Tiffany and Jonathan gave Fitz deathly stares. Jonathan's lip quivered and his face balled into an angry fist.

"And don't even think about it. I have copies, many copies." He exchanged a meaningful glance with Olivia. "One of is under lock and key in with Cyrus.

"And If anything happens to Fitz," Fitz began with unbeatable confidence, her gaze fixated on Jonathan. "If even one hair is harmed on his head, I promise you, Cyrus will get that tape to the District Attorney in a heart beat."

"Imagine when everyone gets to listen to the tape," Olivia ventured. "Imagine the look on Jerry's face and Leila's when they hear about your fake engagement and your role in the doctored video."

"I wonder what will Doyle think of his little girl's sudden engagement."

"So now you two are threatening me…threatening us?" Jonathan shot back in anger.

"More like blackmailing us that is," Tiffany retorted. She looked at Olivia trying to intimidate her with an evil stare but she met her gaze squarely, not giving her the ounce of weakness the other woman was looking for.

The silence that fell was so think it could be cut with a knife. Apparently, both the silence and the knife were sharper than Jonathan and Tiffany who struggled hard to formulate a coherent response.

"You're blackmailing us!" Tiffany reiterated.

"Call it whatever you like. But you better step out of our way," Olivia commanded. "You do that and we will keep our mouths shut about the tape."


	10. Author's note and POLL

**Author's note and POLL:**

Dear readers:

Im soooo sorry to disappoint but I have lost my mojo for this story. Right now I have four other stories in progress plus a couple of brand new fics in the works. But I thought I would get in touch with you before I go on posting new stories and completely lose myself like a kid with a new toy.

Thank you all for your love and AMAZING support for this story; I' m REALLY, REALLY sorry. I hope you understand.

 **I've been slow to post chapters for a while now, as I was hoping I would get new inspiration. Unfortunately, time has not helped and none of the plots and story-lines I've considered for this fic excite/motivate me to keep writing.** And I just couldn't make this fic in any way similar to any of my other fics (what would be the fun in that?)

I'm writing this for two reasons:

1) some of you have been waiting for the sweet surrender for a very long time and I couldn't in good conscience move on and leave you hanging. I have this scene pre-written since last summer but I have nothing else for this story. Just a big blank. Nada.

2) **POLL: I can easily go with any of the three alternatives below.** Right now I may be slightly more inclined to go with option 2 but if most of you prefer that I give it a definite ending then I will do that.

Let me know what you prefer. No negative comments or criticisms, please. Just move on to the next fic, there are so many beautifully written Olitz stories out there, ten times better than this one. Check out my profile page for some of my favorites, a lot of oldies but goodies.

 **POLL**

 **Would you rather: (VOTE FOR ONE PLEASE)  
**

1) Read the final chapter (I will wrap up the current story-line in one long chapter & write an epilogue)

2) Read an open ending ( if later come up with a new riveting story-line that fits, I will come back and continue)

3) Leave the story as it is. Put this fic on hiatus and pick it up at at a later time when you come up with a plot you like.

PS. I will come back ASAP. If it's been over a month, check my profile page. I will let u know the results of the poll & what I've decided to do. In the event I do get all fired up and inspired before then I might come back to this fic sooner than that.


	11. No Holds Barred

**A/N:**

Okay, I got this chapter out as soon as I could as you all have been so patient with me. I may need to come back and edit a bit more though.

 **THIS IS NOT THE FINAL CHAPTER!** Sorry to disappoint you again. Gosh, you're probably sitting there thinking I'm not reading another story by _HER_ EVER AGAIN! I hear ya. But stick with me for a little while longer, ok?

RESULTS OF THE POLL: 48 people voted for option 1 (read final chapter). Option 3 got 7 votes and the rest went to option 2. Some people voted for two options.

It surprised me option 2 (open ending) got just a few votes, I expected more. But what surprised me the most was the voter turnout. I really wasn't expecting that many, seriously.

All I can say is that I really thought I couldn't write another word for this fic. On the other hand, I would feel bad about doing all this build-up for the sweet surrender and then fail to deliver the goodies!

So here I am back with another chapter. **A big shout out to Da Princes and Me's.** Her story Miracle on Hope Street is one of my favorites. This chapter would not have been possible without you. I loved the No Holds barred quote you gave me so much I build the chapter around it ( I put the entire quote word for word in bold). When first read it, It just hit me. I started thinking I could do this, I could certainly write this one scene with Fitz and his mother. Yeah, I can at the very least do that, I told myself. Then from there I added the scene between Fitz and Olivia. I'm not super-happy with it, I might have to come back and add a little something to the dialogue. But it's still good. It's written in Fitz's POV for the most part.

* * *

Chapter Ten

No Holds Barred

Fitz didn't remember much of the night before. All he remembered was having another couple of drinks before heading home with Olivia. She'd been quite determined; there was no way she was letting him get behind the wheel. Next thing he knew, it was morning. He woke up in his bed from a deep sleep, hung-over, with a large headache, and clad only in his boxers. Olivia. Whoa! He got a hard on just thinking of her undressing him. Where was she? The indentation in the pillow beside him showed that she had slept there next to him. At some point during the night she must have crept back to her room.

Lo and behold, there was a full glass of water on his next stand and a bottle of ibuprofen next to it. How thoughtful of her. In the next moment, he downed the capsules along with most of the liquid and lingered in bed giving his erotic fantasies full reign. He imagined her in a silky nightie and his hands caressing her smooth caramel skin. _I want to make love to you, Olivia, I've waited long enough._ In his fantasy, she melted in his arms and continually begged him to make love to her. His lips brushed hers tantalizingly and her lips parted wanting more. She trembled, throbbed all over, wanting it. _Be patient, sweetheart. Yes. I'm going to make love to you slowly until we're both too weak to move._ He groaned, thinking of the slow teasing foreplay, the act in various positions, the wild crying out climax.

He got in the shower after shaving, intending to make it a quick one but ended up fantasizing some more and pleasuring himself. He groaned as the hot beads of water beat a soothing pulsating rhythm against his taut muscles. His release was quick and intense. It made him weak in the knees and he leaned against the shower wall for support. After catching his breath, he lathered up and rinsed off.

At last, he turned the water off and wrapped a white towel around his waist. It sat too low and snug on his hips, revealing his rock-hard, ridged abs.

Well, at least the headache was gone; he realized gratefully. In a carefree moment, he towel-dried his tousled hair and tossed the hand towel in the hamper. Not bad, not bad at all, he decided, catching his reflection in the mirror. He smoothed his tousled hair with his fingers and smiled. Wouldn't it be something if she walked in on him right now like he'd walked in on her just the other day?

He came out of the bathroom, smiling at the memory of her flushed face the moment she'd accidentally exposed her naked beauty. Man, get a grip. If you keep this up he was gonna need a cool down period, he thought as he rounded the corner to the master closet, catching a flash of movement in his peripheral vision.

"Liv?"

"I'm out in the balcony."

"I'll be right there," He mumbled sliding into a pair of jeans and a solid blue t-shirt. He then sauntered over to the balcony and said her name barely above a whisper.

Olivia turned to him, lips parting and her back pressed against the railing, the city of Los Angeles as a backdrop.

"Hey," she smiled at him a smile of affection, approval and happiness at seeing him. She was dressed for work in a black and white Armani jacket and Ralph Lauren trousers.

Fitz walked to her and they embraced. He bent to kiss her lips but she turned so that he could kiss only her cheek and then backed away from him.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think that she was actually nervous around him.

"Mary made us breakfast," she gestured toward the table handsomely decorated with a flower base and more food than they could possibly eat.

"Looks good," he gallantly pulled the chair back for her before taking a seat across from her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby. How about you?"

"Woke up with a headache but now it's gone."

She was glad to hear that.

"Liv, what did we do last night after we left the party?"He had to ask just in case although he was dead certain had something happened between them, he'd for sure remember.

"You remember Tiffany and Jonathan leaving?" Her mouth lifted into a half-smile. "They left in a bit of a huff."

"Hmm. Yeah." He grinned triumphantly. He'd never forget the look on their faces when they heard the tape incriminating themselves.

They ate in comfortable silence until he spoke again. "So what happened after that?"

She downed her orange juice and set the glass back on the table. She then chewed her bottom lip and looked at him with hooded eyes. She knew this was bad, but she couldn't resist messing with him. When was she ever going to get a chance like this? "You mean…did we err…do it?

"Livvie," his demeanor was instantly apologetic.

She deadpanned. "I have no idea, I'm terrified."

His blue eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly open. "I never, I would never take advantage-

She laughed good- naturedly. "No, Fitz. We didn't. What do you think?" She shook her head, enjoying the fact that for once she'd thrown him off his game (at least somewhat). "Fitz, you passed out so I had to take off your clothes. Not an easy task if you ask me. You weren't exactly mister cooperative."

He had to hand it to her; she really got him this time. That was a good one," he drawled as a slow grin spread across his face, simultaneously looking amused and relieved.

"Hmm…Fitz, you got to try this," she said referring to a creamy custard in a fruit cocktail.

He watched as she slid her fork in the creamy confection and put it in her mouth. His body reacted to the innocent action with heat in his groin.

She then leaned forward to grab the serving plate in front of her and serve Fitz a helping of the delicious treat in a small bowl. The action had the fortunate effect of pressing her breasts up, giving him a generous view of her cleavage.

She stared at him innocently awaiting his reaction as he tried a bite.

Did she really have no idea what effect she had on him?

Did she know?

He glanced down. His erection was well hidden in those jeans. Each moment with his _wife_ was filled with surprise. She shocked him. She delighted him. She enchanted him.

"Well…What do you think?"

"I love it," he replied looking into her smiling face. Wow. He loved that smile. Her strength. Her beauty both inside and out. Her spirit. He opened his mouth to say 'I love you' but the words died in his lips. He longed to say it, but something restrained him. It was as if a pair of arms had been delivered straight from heaven to hold him back, keeping him from making a fool of himself in the eyes of the only person whose opinion really mattered. He didn't think he would be able to stand it if she rejected him; he needed her for his very existence. She was his everything.

* * *

…

After breakfast, Olivia promptly headed for work. And Fitz decided to stop by the Grant home to see his mother on his way to the office. Something told him his mother was not doing well and he followed the hunch.

He came to the door of her bedroom with a feeling of apprehension and knocked. "Mom?"

"Come in," a faint answer came.

At once, his worst fears realized. His mother was lying in bed looking sick.

"Hey, mom. Are you feeling all right?

"Just a little fever, I think." She ran her hand through her hair to smooth it and give it some fluff.

"Mom, you really don't look good." He looked around. Luckily, there was a bottle of Ibuprofen. He unscrewed the lid and got two capsules out. "Here, take this."

Leila took the capsules from his hand and promptly swallowed them with a sip of water. "Don't worry, Fitzy. It's nothing serious. I think I'm just coming down with a cold or something."

So typical of his mother to be worried about him when she was the one who was sick.

"I'm calling Dr. Smith."

"Fitz no, no. This late at night? He's probably at home with his family. Can't it wait till morning?"

"Mom, that's what we pay him for. We pay him to make house calls."

He took both of her hands in his and studied her expression. Yes, she looked a little depressed now; gone was the sparkle he'd seen in her eyes during the dinner party.

"Oh, you know he's not going to prescribe anything."

"You don't know that, mom."

"You know how doctors are, Fitz…they take one look at you and say it's just a little virus. Nothing that a little rest and lots of liquids won't cure." She shook her head with a wistful expression. "Gone are the days when a doctor's visit meant at least one course of antibiotics and a long list of medications. Ah,I tell you, I often left the doctors' feeling ten times better than when I first walked in the door."

"I'm still calling," Fitz insisted. He couldn't help but worry. Experience told him that his mother's chronic depression tended to worsen whenever she became ill. He leaned forward, ready to stand and retrieve his phone from his pocket.

"Fitz, no. Wait." She held on to his hand halting his movements. "There's something going on between you and Olivia…Clearly you love each other but there's something I can't quite put my finger on it."

Fitz gave her a thin smile. "Something good or something bad?"

"Oh, there is a lot of good between you two," she smiled, "but there's also something, something that's holding you back."

Fitz leaned back further toward the foot of the bed and crossed his legs. Why did his mother have to be so darn perceptive?"

 **"You don't have to tell me Fitz that you are in love with your wife because a mother always knows when her son has fallen in love. Olivia has always been the one for you. You just have to be willing to go after her, no holds barred."**

"You think I should go after her?" He said cautiously. What on earth did she mean by that? By all accounts, he and Olivia were already married. Only the two of them (oh and Quinn, of course) knew that his was a marriage of convenience.

Leila leaned back on her pillows with a serene expression and looked at Fitz for a long time before answering. "Oh. Well. See, there's something holding her back too… and it's something I can't quite figure out, but whatever it is, it's big-

Yes, Fitz agreed. There was something holding Olivia back. It was precisely for this reason he needed to be careful. He didn't want to make things worse and end up scaring her off. Still, he had to make some kind of play to set their future in motion, he mused. The only thing was… what if she didn't really care for him _in that way?_

 _What if she only wants to stay friends?_

Come on, Fitz. Don't forget the kiss at the dinner table tonight. That kiss had felt so real it was hard to believe it was part of their charade.

Either the Olivia he knew had become a hell-of- a good actress…or else.

Fitz shook his head, a thin smile crossing his lips. "Mom, there's something you need to know," Fitz started. Suddenly, nothing was more important than coming clean. "I asked Olivia to marry me because dad threatened to disown me." There. He finally said it. He finally felt as if a thousand pounds of concrete had been removed from his chest.

A flicker of surprise registered in his mother's eyes but she quickly recovered. The look in her eyes easily stated: _Ah, well, that explains everything._

"Olivia agreed to the marriage to help me out."

Leila pursed her lips. "I still think she's in love with you," When she spoke again there was some disappointment in her voice. "Anyway, here I was hoping for grandchildren."

Fitz looked away. He hated disappointing his mother; but most of all, he would have hated himself more had he continued lying to her.

How the hell did he get in this mess? All he'd wanted was to step up to the plate and for once handle the responsibility that his father had wanted to give him for so long but that he had foolishly squandered. It wasn't until his position was threatened by Jonathan that he'd realized his mistake in taking his birthright for granted.

"She's in love with me?" Fitz mumbled mostly to himself. It was so easy to fool himself into thinking that she cared for him romantically. There was love in their relationship, of course. They were friends. And like most friends, they loved talking to each other and hanging out together. Did she love him as a friend or was she _in love_ with him? There was only one way to find out, he decided. Either way, he would do whatever he needed to do to win her heart forever.

 **A/N:**

 **Please continue to review each and every chapter!** It really helps my muse stay focused on this story. My goal right now is to get you the goodies. Please be patient as I feel that my muse is not completely back. I feel as though I'm driving to a new destination without a roadmap but maybe it's best if I just try to see where the characters take me in the next few chapters. **Tell me what you want to see happening.** Lastly, I'm also considering a sequel **  
**

 **I really want to give this story my best but I can't do it without the encouragement of every single one of you! Leave me your thoughts  
**


	12. Just One Wish Will Be Granted

**A/N:** Are you surprised I'm back so soon? Me too!

Any similarity in this chapter to _Whatever Happens_ is NOT coincidental. They're sisters close in age, born from the same _Word_ file. They play together but they also get into squabbles. They both have trouble sharing; they both demand attention. Me first! They sneer. I try to tell them I don't play favorites but I don't think the little rascals believe me ;)

 _Three coins in the fountain,  
Through the ripples how they shine.  
Just one wish will be granted,_

 _Will you be my valentine?_

 _-Frank Sinatra-_

 _Enjoy!_

 _ **EDITING:** I added a paragraph at the beginning of the dinner cruise and then again at the end. Took out last sentence of chapter. July 1,2017 _

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Just One Wish Will Be Granted

Olivia woke up in the middle of the night, needing to feel his arms around her. When he hesitated, she pulled him closer, encouraging him with her hands and lips. He gave in quickly.

"Make love to me," she whispered, and to her greatest delight he had done just that. They had shared an amazing orgasm together; they experienced a true connection of body and soul.

In the after glow of their love making, she snuggled in his arms and searched his face expecting to see a smile but he looked serious.

"This can't happen again, Liv. I don't want it to ruin our friendship."

"Fitz, I…

Suddenly, she stumbled into a dark tunnel. Hands outstretched, she groped a rocky wall, searching desperately for the exit. _Fitz?_ She squinted against a sudden flash of light.

Fitz suddenly came into view, his face glowing. "I don't want it to ruin our friendship," he repeated, smiling. He seemed proud of using the one stock phrase deeply imbedded in the fabric of American culture, the one phrase used by men to politely tell a woman he's not interested. The one phrase universally recognized as code word for _'I'm not in love with you'._

The ironic thing was that bringing up the stock phrase in the first place, pretty much guaranteed the ruining of the friendship—or at the very least, significantly alter it, she thought.

"If something happened and we broke up," he went on oblivious to her feelings, "one or both of us would end up hurt…and I wouldn't want us to grow apart. Our friendship means more to me than anything."

* * *

…..

Olivia woke up from this incredibly vivid dream relieved that it was just a dream, that Fitz's rejection of her had only been a dream and that their relationship was still intact. She looked at the empty pillow beside her head sighed, missing him, wishing he was right there beside her.

As it was, they'd been sleeping together several nights in a row. Last night they'd climbed in bed together intending to relax while sharing the highlights of their day. And they talked until they fell asleep.

And in her sleep, her body sought his and it wasn't simply his body heat that she wanted. She snuggled closer until she was curled against his length, her hand resting over her heart, her cheek nestled against his shoulder, her limbs intertwined against his. She burned, she ached for him. It got to point where the only way to survive this was to sneak back to her room in the middle of the night for preservation of her pride and dignity.

She had no idea, however, that back in his room, Fitz woke once again rock hard with desire. Inhaling the scent from her pillow and missing her.

* * *

"I changed our reservations so that we'll be leaving FIVE days early." Fitz told her over breakfast. Europe. "Liv, you know that was crazy. Everybody kept telling me that Five days was not nearly enough time to visit five European countries. And they were right. Let's do this the right way. So now instead of five days, we're getting ten days. "

Olivia sighed. Well, Fitz did have a point. There was so much to see in Europe, there was no way they could visit five countries in five days. Still, she didn't like the element of surprise. "Wh-what? When are we leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Fitz! That's not nearly enough time. I gotta give Quinn some notice!"

"It's all taken care off."

Olivia shook her head in disbelief and pushed her plate away.

"I talked to Quinn myself and she agreed to directly supervise and train whoever you hire as a store manager. We got five candidates lined up for you to interview them this afternoon."

Olivia's let out a huff. "Well, it sounds like you thought of everything."

"I did," Fitz said proudly. "I'm really looking forward to this vacation. You know how long it's been since I went on vacation?" He paused waiting for her reply.

Olivia searched her mind but couldn't come up with an answer. She shrugged, giving up.

"That's right, you can't think of it because I was like five years old and you weren't even born yet."

"Actually…Hmm…never mind."

"What good is having money and not being able to enjoy it on a vacation every once in a while?"

Olivia pursed her lips. She wondered why he kept calling it a vacation. This was supposed to be their honeymoon, wasn't it?

"Lastly," he added determined to knock down all her arguments against taking the extra five days. "As far as the world is concern, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald Grant are taking a proper ten day European honeymoon."

There, he said it was their honeymoon. She took a deep breath, this was just so unexpected. "You've told everyone first?" She pouted.

"I thought you'd be happy. You're the one who wanted to visit all those countries." He felt a bit disappointed. He knew visiting Europe as an adult had been on her wish list since forever.

She picked up her fork and pushed the food in her plate. The truth was that she was wondering how on earth she was going to make it through this trip to Europe. They would be spending so much time together just the two of them…what if?

Just the thought of revealing her true feelings for Fitz and making a monumental fool of herself was enough to nearly send her into panic mode.

"What about work?" She asked in an effort to distract herself. "Does your dad approve of you taking that much time off work?" She wondered thinking that Jonathan would have a field day in Fitz's absence.

"I'm disappointed in you, Livvie," he said half-joking, half serious. "Like I said, everything's been taken care of. My father certainly approves. I think he's starting to see the light now and realizes the merger was not a good idea. I lucked out there, I suppose." Fitz's expression turned triumphant as his mind re-visited the moment the board voted against the merger. "As to Jonathan," he went on as if he'd been reading her mind, "well, he's now walking with his tail between his legs so to speak. So I don't expect any trouble from him."

 _As to Tiffany, last I heard she broke up with Jonathan and left for the East Coast, I think,_ Fitz nearly said out loud but something told him to keep mum. Now was not the time to bring up Tiffany even if it was good news. Just mentioning her name was bound to leave a bad taste in their mouths.

Right now he needed to focus on convincing Olivia to take the time off, he reminded himself. "You know, what's really noteworthy here is that I think that my dad is starting to see that I was right." He said in a casual tone. He then finished up the last bite on his plate and sipped his orange juice.

"So your dad now has a newfound respect for you."

Fitz nodded, giving her a thin smile. "Right now life is smiling at us, Liv, so let's seize the moment." He tossed her a subtle wink.

Olivia couldn't help but smile back knowing she didn't stand a chance against his charm. "Well, there's also the matter of my dad…and your mom."

"My mom is doing much better actually; I talked to her this morning. And your dad…well, I shouldn't have to say this but your dad is getting the best care, you know that."

"I know…but I will be so far away. What if he needs me?"

"Stop it, Liv. Stop throwing in the wrenches. Let's just go and enjoy ourselves. We deserve it."

* * *

Rome Sweet Rome

The city of Rome was their first destination. They arrived around noon the next day and sent their checked baggage directly to their hotel room. They decided to explore the city as it made no sense to stay in their hotel room the rest of day when there was so much to see.

Their first stop was a in a 16th century villa known as Villa d'Este located about 19 miles from Rome. All the rooms are beautifully decorated with frescoes (a technique of mural painting) painted on the walls and ceilings. Although the most breath-taking part of the villa are the fantastic views of the terraced hillside Renaissance garden and countryside below.

The best part of the visit was strolling through the mansion's lush gardens full of sculptures and over 500 fountains surrounded by architectural masterpieces. The garden also housed a superb waterfall, known as Fountain of the Organ (Fontana dell'Organo). Amazingly, the fountain had a water organ installed in it back in 1571. The hydraulic fountain played music automatically, that is, no one was actually playing the organ . Water in pipes under pressure pushes air into chambers that then produce the notes when the air is directed into the organ pipes. The water came straight from the Aniene River through underground pipes that ran through the streets of the medieval city.

It's amazing to think that the organ and gardens were built nearly five hundred years ago," Olivia said as they strolled along the narrow walkway along the one hundred fountains.

The oval Fountain was one of the most famous fountains in the garden. It was designed as a water theater spraying water in variety of forms. The massive stone basin was set against the semicircular stone wall cascades water into the fountain and sprayed it into the air, while water traveled into the basin from vases in the hands of statues of sea nymphs of Greek mythology. An artificial mountain above the fountain served as a backdrop, symbolizing the Tiburtine landscape; the mountain appeared pierced by three grottos or caves decorated with statues, all of which poured water into the Oval Fountain.

* * *

From there, Fitz and Olivia traveled nineteen miles by taxi to the heart of Rome to see one of the most stunning fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain.

Both Fitz and Olivia were awestruck by the sheer size of the fountain and the sculptures surrounding it. So this was the world famous Trevi Fountain she'd read about in books.

A boy about eleven years old approached them and spoke to them in heavily accented English. "Five thousand Lira and I will tell you about the Trevi Fountain, the legend and the history."

Olivia was instantly charmed by the boy's winsome smile. However, she looked at Fitz who nodded back in approval and reached into his pocket to hand over the money. A fifty dollar bill to be exact. "Keep the change."

The boy's eyes brightened.

"What's your name?" Olivia asked.

"Mario," the boy said adopting his role as the keeper of legends. "This fountain is the most famous one in Rome. The most popular legend is that if you throw a coin into this fountain, you will come back to Rome to this same place. It's a guarantee. But I will tell you another legend, a legend so powerful that if you make a wish with all your heart and all your mind, it will come true. I am telling you this because you're a nice couple and I will want your wish to come true.

Olivia and Fitz exchanged a doubtful look. "Is that right?" She said.

"Miss, you will need a coin. I will walk you through it."

"I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be three coins." Fitz said.

"No. One coin per person." The boy scowled at Fitz . He then shifted his attention to Olivia who had at last finished rummaging through her purse. "Throw your coin now, Miss. You will see."

Olivia took a quarter out of her wallet.

"How about you, sir?"

"Olivia you make a wish for both of us," Fitz winked at her. "According to the song only one wish will be granted so it might as well be yours."

Olivia closed her eyes and concentrated on the weight of the coin. She was there fully in the moment, bathed in Italian sunlight and misted with water that flowed over magnificent fountains and sculptures. She felt transported by the magic in the air to a different time and space, making her think hard about her wish, she didn't want to waste it on something dumb.

And so she wished that Fitz would fall in love with her and that their marriage be a real one. She squinted one eye open and stole one look at Fitz. _Make him mine, please make him mine._ And with that thought in mind, she flung the coin high in the air and watched it spin as it fell into the clear green waters of the fountain.

"Your wish has been granted," Mario said with a bow. "Many people come here and throw coins but their heart is not in it, but your heart, my lady, your heart was there one hundred percent," he concluded before retreating in search of a new customer.

"Hey, you're leaving us already?" Fitz called after him he didn't get a chance to ask him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's summer, sir," Mario waved from a distance.

Olivia smiled and waved at the boy. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a group of people throwing their coins over the shoulders and with their backs to the fountain.

" _Which one will the fountain bless ? Just one wish will be granted, which one will the fountain bless? "_ chanted a young girl with golden curls loud enough for everyone in their perimeter to hear.

The sun warmed their skins as they continued touring the garden. As they strolled along they came across dozens of vendor stalls displaying everything imaginable. The local craftsmen were displaying leather goods, ceramics and articles made of tortoiseshell.

"You've been awfully quiet. I thought you'd be pestering me, wanting to know what I wished for," Olivia said in a teasing tone.

Fitz stopped walking. "Well, if you tell me, it won't come true, will it?" He took her hands in his. "I trust that you made it a good one for both of us."

"You know what, Fitz. I think you should make your own wish."

Fitz shook his head and smiled sheepishly. For a moment there, their hands were swinging in a loose low arc.

"What? Don't tell me you believe it won't work without Mario guiding you."

Fitz let out a chuckle. "Not exactly. But the key word is 'believe' and I don't think I can put my heart into it like you did."

"Sometimes you just got to believe… aren't you the one who says life sucks golf balls if you let it?"

He looked as if he'd followed her line of thought and was about to nod in agreement. "Oh, I believe alright," Fitz shot back and she raised a brow. "I believe that this fountain receives 3,000 in coins, Liras that is, every single day." Olivia rolled her eyes and punched him playfully on the arm.

When it was time for a meal, they stopped at café and ordered a couple of sandwiches and a soda and gelato for dessert. They ate outdoors and had a wonderful time, just watching people and their activities.

Then, they decided to hail a carriage and visit the Sistine Chapel. The driver told them that the chapel was built in 1741 and the paintings were done by various well-known artists. He referenced the paintings, known as Frescoes, as representing the life of Moses in the Old Testament on one wall and the life of Christ in the New Testament is represented on the opposite wall.

When they entered the Sistine Chapel shortly afterwards, Olivia and Fitz were in awe. As they walked around they listened to tour guide give a bit of history to a group of people in his party.

"Now look at the ceiling. It took Michelangelo four years to do the artwork. Twenty three years later he added the Last Judgment, and that took him about six years.

Everyone stood in silence gazing at the scenes portrayed.

"That's Christ in the center with his right hand raised. The others are the apostles, prophets and martyrs. The good are standing to the right and the sinners to the left."

"The Italians gave such a rich religious heritage," commented some else out loud.

"The angels are holding the book of judgment," Olivia whispered to Fitz in his ear, he smiled at her and they shared a soul-stirring moment, their faces nearly touching.

* * *

In the early evening, they made a pit stop at the Vatican Charme to freshen up Fitz changed into a dark dinner jacket. Olivia dressed in a tight salmon-colored dress and pulled her jet-black hair tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck and finished the look with a pair of staggering high heels.

After that, they boarded an exclusive dinner cruise overlooking the Tiber River. The cruise was private, just the two of them and the crew. Everything had been arranged before hand and Olivia marveled when Fitz found time to do all this.

Shortly after being seated at a table with a smoky gold tablecloth, they selected four dinner courses accompanied by three different wines while getting a fish-eye view of Rome, gliding past churches and bridges.

While they waited for their meal, a small band of musicians with accordions and other instruments came to play Moonlight Serenade for the newlyweds.

"Congratulations on your wedding and honeymoon." The headwaiter said bringing two flutes of champagne.

They clinked glasses and sipped their drinks and enjoyed the music.

Fitz gallantly asked for her hand as soon as the band started playing Italian love songs. "May I have this dance?"

Olivia put her hand in his, and they danced endlessly, gliding and swirling on the dance floor while laughing and reminiscing.

"You remember that time your mom hosted a charity ball?" You and your buddies dared as girls to play with those plastic toy soldiers?" She chuckled, her mind already miles ahead in the story telling. "I complained they had shard edges so you went to show me how wrong I was and made your soldier make that high jump and you cut your thumb and were bleeding all over that white Persian rug of your mom's?" She paused and they both chuckled. "And then your nanny came and put on a band-aid twice the size of your thumb? And then when your mom saw it, she nearly fainted? It stood out like a sore thumb!"

"Well, thanks a lot for the gory details," he quipped in an amusing tone. "Besides I didn't hear you display any sympathy…I almost bled to death."

She laughed merrily. "Oh, really?"

Their dancing reduced to a gentle sway. He looked into her eyes and said, "you're really something, you know that?"

"I know." She replied smiling.

"What would I ever do without you?" He sighed, letting the question hang.

They continued to sway gently to the romantic music and Olivia closed her eyes, dreamily, not wanting this day to ever end.

After dancing, they headed back to the table for their meal. They ate the first course in comfortable silence, occasionally commenting on the view. They both agreed that the river sat too below the two concrete walls to offer much of a view. The best part of the experience was definitely the boat ride.

Soon they started on their second course while the band continued to play instrumental music. Olivia was in such deep thought she barely noticed the headwaiter standing there asking if everything was to their satisfaction. She nodded politely.

"A penny for your thoughts." Fitz inquired after the waiter left.

"I was thinking about this charade marriage of ours. When will it end?" She paused to ease him into the topic, knowing that he wasn't expecting his query to lead them into this conversation. "At some point you and I will have to get on with our lives."

"I told my mom about us. She knows."

"We did it then, we took this charade of a marriage as far as it would go." There was an edge to her tone and his expression turned serious. "Now what? Your starting to get on your father's good graces again. I can't help but wonder… We go back home…at what point is this charade of a marriage over?"

"I don't want it to be over." I don't want our marriage to be over. Ever."

"Wh-what?

"I don't want our marriage to be over, ever," he calmly repeated his piercing eyes reflecting loads of testosterone coming off him in waves, it seemed.

Somehow, she managed to look and feel shocked and hot and bothered all at the same time.

The corner of his mouth quirked as if he knew he'd scored. The ball was in her court now.

She took a deep purposely calming breath. Damn him! It was hard to look right at him. He frustrated her beyond measure for so many reasons, not the least of which was her secret love for him.

"We're not really married. This not real a real marriage. Remember? It's a charade," she enunciated each sentence carefully just in case he'd suddenly come down with a bad case of amnesia.

"I told my mom about our agreement." He murmured without missing a beat. "She knows. I don't expect her to tell my father but if she does, so be it." He gave her a crooked smile and she just about melted. "As far as I know, this charade is over for me. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. It seemed crazy, you were my best friend and we had the perfect arrangement. But you invaded my thoughts, my soul." He went on while she hung onto his every word. "And here we are on our honeymoon. And I couldn't be happier. Liv," He reached over for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "You're the only woman I would ever want to be married to."

Desperately in need of fresh air, she rapidly rose to her feet and walked over to the outside deck. She needed to keep her emotions in check, just in case she started crying like a fool. This was too good to be true. What if somehow, she misinterpreted? She chastised herself, her heart beating wildly. In the next breath, he was right there behind her, his hot breath sending delicious shivers down her neck.

"Fitz…if this is a game that you're playing," she breathed looking out into the dark waters of the Tiber. The moon pierced the clouds tipping the water with a wavy, tremulous light.

He turned her around and held her by the shoulders.

"No, it's not a game. I've been doing a lot of thinking. You and I, Olivia, we're perfect for each other. I get you, you get me. We can be ourselves, no masks and still love each other. We're the perfect match." He said with utmost conviction even though ironically, right now she didn't seem to get what he was trying to tell her. Did she miss the part where he said he fell in love with her?

She shook her head. _What did he just say?_

 _We're perfect for each other. No masks. We're the perfect match._

It was hard to look straight at him because he was so tall. Even in her heels she barely came up to his shoulders. She hated that he had such a height advantage during intense moments such as this.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She was absolutely speechless.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm in love with you, Olivia. " he said and at last she looked up locked eyes with him. "Yes, I love you, Livvie. I love you as my best friend but I also love you like a man loves a woman."

The words resonated in her head. _I love you, Livvie._

Olivia continued to stare into his clear blue eyes, utterly lost in them. There was only one way she could possibly interpret that. _Fitz is in love with me!_ The thought instantly crumbled all her barriers and made them disappear. _Fitz loves me!_

She saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face at her lack of response but he quickly recovered. "I'm hoping that in time, you grow to love me."

"Fitz, you don't have to do that."

When he spoke again he felt as if he was moving his lips were moving in slow motion. "Huh? I don't have to do what?"

"You don't have to hope that in time I grow to love you…because, you see." She paused, giving him a slow sexy smile. I'm already in love with you…you silly goose."

His brow wrinkled in confusion as the full meaning of her words dawned on him. It wasn't until she added 'you silly goose' that his lips twitched with boyish charm.

And his gaze dropped to her lips. "My Livvie," he murmured, lowering his head and kissing her softly.

Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, they were interrupted by a crew member approaching them not very discreetly to tell them their third course had been served.

The rest of their meal went like a dream. For Olivia everything about her senses seemed sharper so that when she inhaled she drew his scent into her lungs. She heard the rhythm of his heart calling and her heart answered. His voice was so husky and sexual that she began playing erotic images in her head. For Fitz, the sound of her voice was the most divine seduction. He wasn't going to live this, he thought as the waiter brought gelato for dessert. His lungs burned, his groin ached and every muscle was tight with sexual tension.

* * *

After the dinner cruise they headed for the Bellevue Hotel (their luggage had been sent ahead of time from the Vatican Charme), a palatial hotel featuring terraces with a view and private beach access. The hotel's location offered timeless beauty intertwined with historical ambience. It was surrounded by ancient fish shops relating to the presence of the Romans from Augustus to Tiberius and Virgil. And the legend goes that this place, set between rocks and sea, was so beautiful that the mermaids chose it as their home.

After they checked in, the bellhop led them to their room, unlocking the door and letting them enter first. The Roccia suite was the romantic suite reserved for honeymooners. Olivia smiled, her eyes taking in the stunning décor and original artwork.

As tempting as it was to soak in the immense Jacuzzi that sat in the middle of the room and set under a skylight, Olivia wanted to go for a walk down the beach and connect with the sound of the ocean surf, thinking it would be just the two of them this late in the evening.

Less than half and hour later, Olivia had slipped into in a free flowing dress that hung just below the knee and Fitz had changed into a polo shirt and a pair of Docker shorts.

Holding hands, they ran down the steps onto the beach where the building lights didn't reach. They continued waking along the shore until the only light was glow of the moon over the sea. There wasn't a soul in sight. Olivia mindlessly dropped her beach bag onto a convenient rock near the shore.

They both breathed in the warm sea breeze that enveloped them and stared into each other's eyes. It was time. They both trembled inwardly at the enormity of the moment.

At last, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. God, the taste of her against his lips was heaven. A soft moan escaped her lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He molded her to him with his hand on her back, making her feel his pent-up desire, and they kissed non-stop for almost five minutes.

"Make love to me here," Olivia said when they both came up for air and he felt his eyebrows near shoot up into his hair.

"Someone might see us."

"And we wouldn't want that, do we?" She smirked back.

To his surprise and his delight, she pulled her dress over her head and let it drop to the ground.

She was wearing nothing but a pair of black panties and her sandals which she immediately toed off.

She was so comfortable being naked around him, it was intoxicating. She turned and stepped into the shallows of the sea, looking over her shoulders at him. He gawked at her magnificent body lit only by the light of the moon. He watched her dive into the waves, disappearing into the darkness of the sea. And she surfaced a few seconds later, sweeping her hair back from her hair and giggling.

"Come join me," she called.

He hesitated to get naked in case somebody saw them.

Suddenly, Olivia threw something soft and black at him. When he caught it, he realized it was her panties.

Kissing all his inhibitions good-bye, he quickly stripped off his clothes and waded in the water to join her.

The water felt cool as he swam out toward her. By then she was lying on her back staring up at the stars. He scooped her up in his arms and she wrapped her hands around his neck, caressing his damp curls. Smiling, she wrapped her legs around his hips and kissed him.

She pulled away slightly, leaning her forehead against his; being so close to him like this was an incredible feeling.

He held her tighter, "Livvie, I want you to be sure about this. I wouldn't want you to be sorry, I never wanted to risk our friendship, you're way too important to me."

She kissed him briefly. He felt her tighten around him, her breath starting to quicken and he shifted her slightly to slow her down.

"You should know though how much I need you, how much I cherish you and adore you. You're everything to me."

This man was going to be the death of her. "Okay. Okay, I get it. You're being very cute and romantic. Now stop talking and make love to me."

He grinned. "Come," he mumbled with a sexy smirk . Together they strolled back to her beach bag and spread a towel onto the moist sand.

This time when their lips touched again, the flame of desire crackled and shot through their bodies. They clung to each other, breathless. Fitz whispered sweet nothings in her ear, the words flowed from him like an open stream, his love for her finally unleashed. He nuzzled her sensitive collarbone and began gently squeezing her breasts and tormenting her nipples. He was drunk with the feel of her wet skin and the perfect molding of her buttocks.

When their lips connected once again, they heard the roaring ocean rolling majestically behind them, spraying tiny droplets of ocean foam onto their bodies.

"I love you," He murmured against her lips. He pulled back a little to stare deeply into her eyes just so there be no doubt how much he cared about her.

The moment had finally come, the moment that she had dreamed of all these years and she felt overcome with emotion.

"I…I love you too. I have been in love with you for years," Olivia said, her voice faltering, "I've been hoping one day you would fall in love with me too."

"My Livvie," he replied in awe at her confession. "You never said-

She grabbed his face, their movements never stopping. "Don't leave, don't ever leave me."

"I won't ever leave you," he kissed her fiercely to reassure her and in response, she shifted her body and parted her legs, eagerly offering herself to his exploring hands.

He dipped one finger inside her and found her very wet. "Oh, Livvie," he groaned as he found her G spot and started stroking it. He could feel her walls shifting, crumbling.

"Ooooh, Fitz," she gasped loudly the second he lined himself with her core and plunged inside with a groan. Her mouth opened in amazement as her body adjusted to his size. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, her slender legs naturally wrapping around his hips, her nails scoring his back. Somehow, he twisted them so they were now lying sideways, still connected, still making love to one another.

"I don't ever want to be without you," he mumbled and her eyes instantly watered to near overflowing when she felt him sink deeper inside her tight walls.

She blinked away the tears and he got lost in the moment watching her, watching the emotion and the pleasure. He moved slowly inside of her, his manhood stroking points inside of her she didn't even know existed. And she pressed herself further into him, wanton and needy as she slowly fractured into a million pieces.

He could feel every inch of her depth with every single one of his movements. He took her hard and fast at times, then slowed down and cool her off with his kisses. And she was so darn tight that she tugged at his manhood with every one of his strokes. Surrounded by her tight walls, he didn't know how much longer he would be able to take it. And sure enough, his volcano erupted inside of her with a groan, the white lava warming her insides, causing her to cry out and come again herself.

A feeling of utter contentment washed over him as they lay spent in each other's arms with only the sound of the waves crashing on the beach in front of them.

…

 **A/N:**

I'm still taking requests and suggestions for a new storyline for this fic. I often get the best ideas from your comments so keep them coming. One idea leads to the next and so on, so don't be shy, say whatever it's on your mind.

On a related note, I have some time this week to work on next chapter, the honeymoon continues. I still need your reviews to keep me focused and motivated.

Raise your hand, if you're ready for more M-rated goodness! ( Hey, where are you? …..raise your hand higher, much higher, please!)


	13. Must Be Love on the Brain

**A/N:**  
You guys are the best! I had a blast reading your responses to last chapter. Many of you raised your hands and both feet, lol.

There was a continuation mistake in the last chapter, I went back and fixed it the next day though. I mistakenly uploaded the wrong file; the two files were nearly identical except for the sequence. I hate it when that happens especially when my muse suddenly reminds me: "Say, did you forget to change this and that?" Or "Hey, did you upload the right file?" This invariably happens when I'm running late somewhere and I can't fix it right away. One time, I was on my way to the dentist and I tell you, it was sheer torture knowing I needed to WAIT until after he was done with all the drilling before I could do anything about it. Talk about double torture!

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. By the way, I know have a mini-plot for this story brought to you by a combination of a guest review and conversations with Da Princes and Me's & Reader575 (thanks for your support and listening to my rambling).

ABOUT the title: The song is by Rihanna and I thought the title was perfect for this chapter, the lyrics are sort of iffy, some parts don't really apply to Olitz so I'm not posting them here.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Must Be Love on the Brain

….

Olivia felt her heart pounding faster with every step as they climbed the stairs and hurried to the hotel lobby. She could still feel the saltiness of the ocean on their skins. Thankfully, the sand had been smooth so it had not stuck to their skin. Desire heated her skin, and quickened her breathing. Now that they had made love for the first time, she wanted him again with fierce urgency.

At last, they reached the elevator and stepped inside holding hands. They were so close now, and excitement built like butterflies inside her. In the next moment, Fitz opened the door to their room and they rushed in. In the next breath, the room became impossibly dark with the door shut and only a sliver of light coming in through the balcony doors which had been left wide open. Within seconds, Olivia found herself with her cheek pinned against the door. He caged her there with his body. In one swift motion, he wrapped his hand in her still damp hair and gently pulled her head back as his mouth came descending on her neck. She gasped with the sweet shock of it. Oh, yes...his tongue ran from her collarbone to her ear and her knees wobbled. She braced her arm against the door and slumped there helpless to move, as he covered every inch of her neck with kisses and possessive sweeps of his tongue.

Soon, her whole body felt aflame. Beneath her dress, her nipples hardened to hard points, craving his touch, his mouth. And his kisses fired up a low hollow ache in between her thighs. And when he finally reached to cup her breast, she couldn't help a moan from escaping her lips.

He groaned in response, and in another moment, he pulled her dress easily from her shoulders and she slid her arms out of the sleeves. She trembled when his arm then went around her waist holding her naked body close (no bra and her panties were somewhere back on the beach). His erection pressed against the small of her back. He kissed her ear now, tracing the ridges and catching the nub of her lobe between his teeth. At once, his thumb found her nipple, and he rubbed it back and forth, just lightly teasing. The torture was absolutely exquisite.

"Fitz, please." She tried to turn to face him. He put his hand on her waist, forbidding it.

"Not just yet, my Livvie."

Her heart just pounded and pounded as the joy of anticipation built in her chest. He continued to toy with her breasts, as he discovered she seemed to be particularly sensitive. She continued to writhe against him. "Oh, please, please," she murmured nearly beside herself, and they hadn't even made it to the bed yet.

"Soon, soon, my love," he teased her, kissing her neck and his hands reaching down to her sex. Suddenly, he pressed his palm against her mound and they both went still as if they were both standing at the edge of a precipice. "Mmm," he whispered, his hands pressing gently, exploring. "You're wet. Very wet."

"Oh, God," she lurched a little when he stroked her with his middle finger. He continued to stroke her as she moaned. At last, his finger circled her entrance and lingered there. "God, I'm dying here." She said breathlessly.

"You want me to stop?" he teased.

"No…no! Don't !"

He groaned, still holding her tight with one arm. He could feel EVERY inch of her…the nicely trimmed pubic hair, the swollen lips, the expanded clitoris.

"Is this good, baby?"

Somehow, she managed to part her legs more as he added another finger. He stretched her and stroked her harder. Moisture ran down his fingers and pooled at his palms, his balls tightening at the thought of being inside of her.

Her head tipped back, panting breaths. Her body arched and then she broke. Her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth sank into her bottom lip to hold back the moans that were coming back from deep in her throat.

"Yes, that's it, baby," he murmured keeping her steady despite her frantic movements. Having reached her climax, her body stilled by slow degrees. He continued to hold her close, his own desire was keen and she smelled female, the one scent guaranteed to fire his blood. He rocked her gently, his hands up and down the sides of her body until then suddenly, he spun her around to face him, pressing her against the door again as his mouth claimed hers in a possessive kiss. He cupped her breast with one hand, lifting it and tugging the nipple, while she sifted her hands through his hair as they kissed.

Impatient she began to pull at the fabric of his shirt, and when she managed to work the hem high enough, he broke their kiss long enough for him to yank the garment over his head and toss it aside. He did the same with his pants.

When they kissed again, his bare chest met hers just like on the beach, and the sensation was bone melting in its intensity. All that skin on skin, heat on heat.

His hands slid to her backside and he lifted her off the ground and against the door, wedging his hips in between her thighs and locking her legs around his waist.

She laughed a little. But then his mouth found her nipple and her laugh became a breathy sigh.

The hard surface of the door scraped against her back, but she could have cared less. His lips and tongue were working magic on her breasts. After he'd treated her breasts to through pleasuring, he gathered her to him and turned her away from the door, carrying her toward the bed. At last, she was being carried over the threshold like a proper bride (except without the wedding attire), she thought, and she laughed again.

Together they tumbled onto the mattress and from that point forward, everything was a little less frantic and a little more tender which brought her mind back to their union on the beach. As he moved above her, she felt treasured. Precious. Loved. His palms swept over her breasts, her legs, hips, thighs, her belly. And her own fingers itched for her turn. She didn't have to search long to find him. His beautiful erection all but sprung free in her hand, filling her grip with his heated flesh. His skin was soft, like velvet. She stroked him up and down his flesh and heard him groan with helpless pleasure. She circled her thumb around the crown, then explored his length and caressed the vulnerable sack underneath.

Suddenly, he pulled her hand away. "Enough for now, or it will be over before it starts."

She sighed and he caught her hands in his and pushed back, pinning her arms against the mattress on either side of her head. She let out another deep sigh as they locked eyes.

"Fitz, I want you inside, now," she begged with exponential urgency.

"I mean to taste you first," he said making his way down to her sex. Her hips bucked when he laid his tongue on her bundle of nerves. He explored every fold and hollow with his tongue and soon he had her writhing beneath him. He circled her bud and slid his tongue inside of her.

"Oh, Fitz…FITZ!" she moaned, rolling her eyes. She was so close now but he showed no signs of stopped or even acknowledging her pleas. Instead, he licked her to a fierce sudden climax.

He quickly pinned her arms above her head with one hand, and lined himself up with her entrance, and plunged his cock deep inside of her. Ah…they both groaned. He then released her hands and started moving slowly but it didn't last long. Soon, a more urgent rhythm took hold as his thrusts increased in both speed and intensity.

He began to murmur how much he loved her against her ear while she wrapped her legs around his hips and clung to his shoulders, holding him as tight as she could. Then, they both reached a point where there were no more words. Slipping an around her waist, he drew her body up against his and when he thrust, he reached a place where she could feel him EVERYWHERE

At last, she came undone and reached her climax again. And his came right after. He shuddered and groaned with the few final thrusts and ended with a deep passionate kiss.

He collapsed beside her on his back. And she turned on her side to face him and he pressed her head to his shoulder. She hugged him close, not wanting this moment to ever end.

* * *

The next morning

Olivia woke up in the nude wrapped around Fitz like a pretzel. He was asleep flat on his back, breathing slow and even, and very deeply. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared at him. She was in the crook of one of his arms, pressed up against his side, a leg thrown over him AS IF she owned him. Ha. Scratch that. _No 'if's' allowed, he's mine now_ , she reminded herself. A rush of heat made her quiver as she recalled last night's events, and saw herself if however briefly as the bride of a Harlequin historical novel the moment she realizes-after twenty- five long chapters- her marriage has finally been sexually consummated. YES!

They were married in EVERY sense of the word. _Imagine that!_ The charade was over. It was over.

She pulled back slightly to look at him. He moved a little and his palm moved to cup her bottom. It felt sexy and just slightly possessive. She stared at his face. It was rare to be able to study him up close and personal like this and she soaked up the opportunity. He looked so relaxed, even carefree. Not to mention sexy as hell without an ounce of effort. Men really had no idea how good they had it, while she on the other hand, required at least half-an-hour of prep time before being able to be seen in public—just taming her locks alone took the lion's share. And with that in mind, she began to slowly inch away from _her very hot husband._

But the second she moved, she felt a subtle change in his breathing that told her he was now awake.

"Good morning," he paused, smiling. "Mrs. Grant."

Nothing was sexier at that moment than his morning growl.

"Morning, Mr. Grant," she pecked his lips. "I'll be right back," she graciously slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

By the time she came back to bed, her hair tamed into a pretty bun and still in her birthday suit, Fitz had already been to the other bathroom and was back on his side of the bed just relaxing, thinking about their lovemaking the night before.

"I missed you," he smirked, reaching for her.

She let out a chuckle. "I was only gone five minutes."

"You can deny it until doomsday, but you're hot and bothered and utterly obsessed with me," he smirked. "And those five minutes seemed like hours to you."

She let out a soft chuckle.

"You can't stop flirting with me, can you?" She asked, smiling at him, feeling her pulse pound with his remarks and his velvety voice that was like a soft caress.

"Not with you. Somehow, you seem to bring this out in me," he remarked with a sexy drawl, pulling her close so they lay side by side facing each other.

"Aha…you finally admit it!" she teased. "You've been flirting with me ever since you first asked me to marry you."

"Better late than never." He shook his head, smiling. "No reason to stop now just because we're now happily married, is there?" He winked at her, holding her close, stroking her hair.

"I guess not," she winked back.

"You were always something, I tell you." He stared deeply into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Livvie. And you don't seem to care about that, which makes you even more gorgeous."

While she gazed into his dancing eyes, she wondered how he could make her feel so irresistibly desirable. She dropped her gaze to his naked limbs and saw evidence of his erection. He was obviously more than ready for round three. "When you and I flirt, I feel as though I'm toying with a tiger."

His brow arched wickedly and his eyes sparkled. "Maybe, what you love… is that there is a little excitement in living dangerously. And then, I always want to see how you tremble with excitement and my imagination always runs away with me."

She reached for him and he climbed on top of her, his rock hard cock pressing against her wetness, eager to find its way inside.

"Do you love me?"  
"Yes…yes," she breathed. Every fiber of her being already tingling in anticipation.

"Then show me."

She pulled him closer to her. "I want you, all the way inside right now," She mumbled surprising him with her words which sounded more like a command. She was asking him to skip foreplay entirely. But he had to test first, so he dipped a finger inside and found her ready. Oh, yes, MORE than ready.

He slid his hand down from her waist and to her ass, lifting her hips higher. God, he wanted her so much! He slowly entered her, locking eyes with her, wanting them both to enjoy the moment but wanting to go hard.

She moaned his name as he held himself still inside of her. She was warm…and wet…and so freaking hot! He was fucking going to come any minute now, she was so hot.

Olivia wrapped her legs around him and gasped when he began to move and held on tight. Her inner muscles greedily clenched him and tightened.

"Ooooh, Fitz, yesss, yesss." Her breath became faster and her moans louder as he thrust his needy cock inside of her.

"YES, harder, harder," she demanded.

He grabbed her ass and tipped his hips higher so he could go deeper, determined to give her the best orgasm she'd ever had. And she moaned and moaned and gripped his shoulders until her nails dug into his flesh. She could feel the pressure building inside of her, rocking her.

"You love my cock inside of you?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Olivia, I'm going to have sex with you every single day, do you understand?" He growled and she let out a long sigh. He stopped moving and she felt as though she was suspended in an abyss at his mercy and she ABSOLUTELY LOVED the feeling. "You deserve to come every single day." All this sex talk was turning her on more as it did him. He drove harder and harder inside of her, angling his dick so he was hitting her G spot over and over. "You're a fantasy come true, Livvie." His voice was thick with erotic promise, his hands following through on that promise, taking her straight to heaven.

She was calling his name and breathing so hard he was sure he wouldn't be able to hold off any longer.

"Ooh, I'm coming, I'm coming," she arched her back and her entire body shuddered and shuddered into an intense orgasm that lingered and lingered until she thought she would break into a million pieces.

Fitz came, and his pleasure shot deep inside her, warming her insides and bringing on a tiny but equally looong orgasm.

He fell to her side, exhausted and closed his eyes. She turned sideways, facing him.

"That was AMAZING," she said, tracing the muscles on his back.

He turned his face to her side, smiling. "Anything for you, my love," he murmured in a sexy tone. "My WIFE, " he drawled. Olivia. His lover, his love, his wife. It felt so good to call her his wife, he was on cloud nine.

WIFE. He'd called her his WIFE. Yes. It felt so good, being his WIFE. His REAL WIFE!

She laughed. It was over… she could hardly believe it. Yes, the charade was over.

"This is for real. You and I are for real," he cooed softly in her ear. The warmth of his breath melted her insides. "You're my wife, and I'm your husband," He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

She looked into his eyes and got lost in them until his gaze surprised her with a renewed fire.

"Now lay back so I can taste that sweet pussy of yours," he murmured moving down her body.

"Oh, Fitz…Fitz…I don't think I can. I'm so tired," she moaned as he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth and then the other.

"Then don't move, I got this," he smirked. "Just lay back and call out my name when you come again."

* * *

….

Two hours later, the newlyweds were leaving Italy behind and were on their way to Spain.

They arrived at The Alva Park Costa Brava Hotel two hours after that. The hotel was located in Catalonia, Spain, on a quiet upper suburb street. Even though it was located an hour's drive from the beach, it had five –star opulence and a strong Asian theme. It was decorated with Buddas, Indian prints and scented orchids. It had heavily embroidered drapes, mother-of-pearls tiling and statues in every corner.

While Fitz was momentarily occupied on his laptop with some business related matter, Olivia wandered around the bridal suite, taking it all in. This bridal suite was even more luxurious than the one in Italy. It had three large rooms plus a lobby. The bathroom itself was much larger than most hotel rooms. The suite had fawn-stoned velvet sofas, soft carpeting, zebra print stools, sycamore and cherry wood furnishings and a large hydro-massage whirlpool bath.

Olivia wrote a note for Fitz in the personalized stationary provided to them by the hotel, and handed it to Fitz. He winked at her. "Don't be gone long. I'm planning a surprise for you. "

She reassured him she would be back within half an hour and ventured to the world famous hotel spa. The receptionist recommended she take the world famous Indian princess bath and so Olivia purchased a swim suit and swam in a therapeutic salt water pool in the midst of underwater music. Feeling a little guilty for enjoying this wonder by herself, she decided to go back to the hotel room after a little while and get Fitz.

When Olivia got back to the room Fitz was wearing a pair of black shiny pants and a red satin shirt that stood out like a sore thumb.

"What's this?" She mumbled, smiling, and running her hands up and down his shirt.

"They're having a tango dance contest in the lobby later tonight. I hired a dance instructor who's going to walk us through the moves before we go to the show."

 _Wh-what?_ "A dance contest?"

"Okay, sounds a little crazy but we only live once. If you don't feel like it, we can always cancel before the contest," he shrugged one shoulder making it all sound so easy.

Still, she gave him a look that said she was _still_ thinking about it. "Are you hungry?" He motioned to the table in the balcony. "I ordered us some appetizers to tide us over until dinner."

Together they strolled out to the balcony to enjoy their meal along with the magnificent view of the ocean and the fresh air. The weather was perfect today, blue skies, about 72 degrees, light breeze.

A few minutes later, Olivia stood in front of the mirror wearing a sultry dress shimmering black and with a slit designed to reveal a long shapely leg with every move of her stiletto heels. She'd let her hair down in semi curly waves over her shoulder and accessorized with a pearl necklace and matching earrings. Her makeup was light and smokey, and for once, she actually felt sexy and attractive.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Fitz murmured undressing her with his eyes as she walked over to where he stood for the longest time watching her in awe.

Just then they heard a knock on their door. It was their dance instructor, a woman in her late thirties that went by the name of Violetta. She was a passionate woman who wore tons of jewelry, heavy make-up (ton of mascara), and a flashy outfit with a medium length flowing skirt. She talked for a little while, making small talk, designed to put them at ease. Then, she explained that she would be instructing Olivia first by herself and then together with Fitz.

At first, Olivia was almost ready to call it quits. How could she possibly hope to master this dance before the contest only a couple of hours from now? She wondered. Violetta reminded her, fluttering her mascara drenched lashes, that it was not the steps but feeling the music what truly mattered. The important thing is that you and your partner have a good time together," she murmured in her accented English. "Yes, that's it, Olivia. Let it all hang out. Get those hips moving like you would like to in bed. You have the perfect body. Tell yourself that a thousand times if you have to."

Olivia let out a laugh and tried the moves Violetta showed her again. Yes, oh yes, she could do this. This was going to be fun.

Once she and Fitz were on the dance floor later that evening along with another fifteen couples, Olivia felt the rhythm in her veins and imagined they were in bed together. Violetta's words continued to play in her head. "Go on! Tease him like you would if you weren't afraid. Go out there, win the prize and win the trophy home."

She soon discovered she loved dancing the tango more than she could have possibly imagined; she loved giving herself permission to act out her deepest fantasies. So far with Fitz, HER BOLDEST MOVE had been to ask him to make love to her on the beach. She'd been on a high last night, emotions running rampant, feeling quite invincible, no longer fearful of rejection. He'd just told her he loved her. And yes, by golly, she'd wanted to shock him.

And she wanted to shock him again. The opportunity soon came when Violetta did her solo dancing, attempting to steal a male dancing partner from one of the couples, somehow managing to bend the tango into a love fest. Olivia didn't know if this was part of the show, but whatever it was, Violetta, _Queen of Mascara_ was going to meet her match. There was no way she was going to let her have HER man.

Olivia continued to dance and intercepted Violetta as she set her sights on Fitz. After throwing her a vixen possessive look, she turned to her man who only had eyes for her, and together they continued to dance in perfect synchrony.

In one last ditch effort, Violetta threw Fitz a silk tie but Olivia caught it instead. As they danced, she loosely wrapped the tie around her arms and beckoned him seductively with her finger.

Fitz was right there with her, mesmerized by every single one of her movements. By then, most of the other couples have been disqualified and they were now the center of attention. He smiled a knowing smile as she graciously put a hand to his chest to indicate he should stay and circled him until she had the silk tie nearly wrapped around his eyes keeping a loose hold. She danced around him, her leg slithering seductively around his while he stayed in place until she decided it was time to remove the blindfold. They acted like cubs on the dance floor, dipping and seductively arching. At last, the music ended as he dipped her and they lingered in a long kiss.

Next thing they knew, the announcer was proclaiming them as the winners. Everyone clapped as Fitz swept her in his arms and kissed her briefly.

"What's the matter? We won." Fitz said.

"I know. I know," she shook her head in disbelief; feeling as though she'd reached the stars, clutching the trophy in her hands.

Fitz took her hand and guided her back to grab a quick bite to eat at the hotel restaurant before heading back to their room.

* * *

By the time they got back to their hotel room, it was 10:00 pm. As soon as they walked in, she heard her phone beeping in the charger. There it was sitting in the corner table by the door where she'd left it last night before they went down to the beach. Instinctively, she moved to retrieve it.

"I'm taking a quick shower and shaving," Fitz winked at her sauntering over to the bathroom. He wanted to be freshly shaved for when they made love again.

"Okay, handsome," she replied in a sultry voice that went hand in hand with her new resolution to become more of a tigress in bed. "Don't take too long."

The sound of his sexy chuckle echoed as she sat in the nearest chair, mobile in hand. Oh, no, what if dad called? Or the nurse? His Alzheimer-like symptoms could have taken a turn for the worse. Panicked, she checked for missed calls. But no. Thankfully, she hadn't missed any calls.

She went through the notifications, wiping them off the screen as scanned and categorized them in order of importance, until she came across the one reminding her of her birth control pills. She'd been taking them continuously—every night at 10:00 pm- ever since she was sixteen. It was such an ingrained habit, she truly didn't need the notification, but she did anyways.

 _Wait a minute!_ Her eyes widened as the realization fully hit her. Last night she'd been lost so the moment that she'd missed last night's dose. She hadn't even looked at her phone since…hmm… the boat ride? She dove for her purse and fumbled with the plastic disk and looked at the punched holes. _My god! It's true, I missed a dose!_ Unless today was Wednesday instead of Thursday. She checked her phone again. Nope. Today was Thursday all right. OooH… WOW.

In the next moment she popped two pills in her mouth to be safe and rinsed them down with some water.

"Fitz?" she breathed his name as soon as he opened the bathroom door a few minutes later wearing nothing but a towel.

He cocked his head. She looked a little worried sitting on the edge of the bed with her back so rigid and straight. He came to sit beside her. "What is it, Liv?"

"I think I forgot something important." She whispered in a daze.

 **A/N:**

There you have it! **The goodies have been officially delivered with this chapter.** So you can't be too mad at me now, can you?

Until next time, take care. XO


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